PETALING JAYA: Smuggled e-waste, which is being processed cheaply in Malaysia, is a health and environmental concern, say environmental experts.
Global waste trade watchdog group Basel Action Network researcher Wong Pui Yi said a large part of the illegal e-waste processing industry involves foreign smuggled e-waste.
She said e-waste, shipped from other parts of the world to Malaysia, is crudely processed by smashing and burning.
“The illegal operators do not need to pay for business licences, fair wages for workers or adhere to pollution controls.”
E-waste materials are also difficult to process thoroughly without significant expenditure to contain pollution, said Wong.
She said e-waste could release “extremely toxic” chemicals of up to 1,000 chemicals including brominated flame retardants, polychlorinated biphenyls and heavy metals into the environment.
One of the chemicals – Persistent Organic Pollutant – can accumulate in the body and damage metabolic systems, the brain and reproductive systems.
“This is very dangerous, especially to pregnant women and children, as it can lead to irreversible health effects, including cancers, miscarriages, neurological damage and diminished IQ.”
Environment and waste management specialist Dr Theng Lee Chong said illegal e-waste operators were operating unchecked.
He said this left operators frustrated as illegal factories grow unchecked while licensed ones faced regular inspections.
The amendment to the Environmental Quality Act 1974 last year has increased penalty amounts and imprisonment, which should have stronger impact in deterring illegal waste, he said.
He said there should be stricter controls by Customs Department in checking on illegal e-waste shipments entering the country.
Theng suggested developing a special portal for the public to report illegal factory operations, to be managed by multiple authorities and NGOs.
He said while e-waste from industries is well-regulated in Malaysia, household e-waste such as televisions is not.
“The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister has said that a new regulation to address non-industrial sources will be enacted in 2025.”
Sahabat Alam Malaysia honorary secretary Mageswari Sangara-lingam said illegal e-waste trade and e-waste processing and recycling facilities, driven by the extraction of metals such as copper and gold, are rampant.
She said the illegal e-waste trade might slip in undetected by Customs because shipments were declared as scraps or other permissible goods.
