MORE than half of the 1,241 containers inspected from 2021 to 2025 contained electronic waste (e-waste), says Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup.
He said e-waste was discovered in 701 containers, with 428 having since been returned to their respective countries.
“The entire process is done in accordance with Malaysian laws and the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal.
“We work closely with the exporting country to ensure it is done carefully and adheres to the law,” he said during the Minister’s Question Time.
In situations where the consignee cannot be identified, the e-waste will 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 would depend on court and legal procedures.
Kurup cited several factors leading to e-waste being increasingly imported to Malaysia.
This includes China tightening its regulations on e-waste imports, false declarations at Malaysia’s entry points, besides an increasing demand from illegal e-waste processing plants in the country.
As such, he said 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 regarding offences related to e-waste trafficking or illegal processing, Kurup 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.
Eleven cases have been resolved, he said in response to a question by Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) who asked about the government’s move to ban e-waste imports and how the ministry intends to dispose of the remaining e-waste that had entered the country illegally.
