KUALA LUMPUR: Electronic waste (e-waste) was discovered in 701 of the 1,241 containers inspected between 2021 and 2025, says Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup.
The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister said some 428 of the containers have since been successfully returned to their respective countries as well.
“The entire process is done in accordance with Malaysia’s laws and the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, of which Malaysia is a treaty.
“We work closely with the exporting country, to ensure it is done carefully and adheres to the law,” he said during Minister Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Feb 10).
In situations where the consignee cannot be identified, the e-waste will then be disposed off locally in an environmentally sound manner at institutions licensed and recognised by the Department of Environment.
For containers held by other authorities such as the police or the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), he said the disposal process will depend on court and legal procedures.
“Only once those are completed, we can begin the disposal process,” he added.
According to the minister, there have been several factors leading to e-waste being increasingly imported to Malaysia.
This includes China tightening its regulations on e-waste imports, false declarations at the country’s entry points, alongside an increasing demand from illegal e-waste processing plants locally.
Kurup affirmed that thorough inspections are being held at the country’s entry points alongside increasing cooperation with international bodies including the Basel Convention secretariat as well as Interpol, among others.
On whether any prosecutions have been made on offences related to e-waste trafficking or illegal processing, the minister said 85 cases have been brought to court through coordination operations together with other authorities under Op Hazard 1.0 and 2.0.
Of this number, 21 premises have been compounded with the rest to be charged.
11 cases have already been resolved and ordered to close as well, he said.
He was responding to a question by Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) who asked about the government’s move to immediately ban e-waste imports and how the ministry intends to dispose of the remaining e-waste that had entered the country illegally.
On Feb 4, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said e-waste imports have been placed under the Absolute Prohibition category with immediate effect.
The decision follows the second meeting of the Special Task Force on the Direction of Enforcement Management for the Importation of Plastic Waste and E-Waste, aimed at tightening controls on the entry of hazardous waste and safeguarding the environment.
