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s the new year approaches, many people are likely to have the latest tech gadgets on their wish lists — smartphones, smartwatches, earphones and laptops.
At the same time, older devices that have outlived their usefulness are often set aside for refurbishment, traded in for discounts on new purchases, or simply left unused until they break down.
Yet replacing a device inevitably raises a familiar question: what should be done with the old one?
For many, the answer is neglect. Devices are forgotten in drawers, added to piles of household clutter, or worse, tossed into domestic rubbish bins once damaged.
“I usually change my phone every three years, and telco companies often offer trade-in programmes that make new devices cheaper. So I don’t really worry about whether to keep my old phone or how to dispose of it,” said postgraduate student Melvin Lim, 25.
Smartphones are an essential part of daily life for most people
More often than not, consumers give little thought to how their electronic waste, or e-waste, is ultimately handled by retailers or telecommunications companies.
E-waste refers to any device that requires mains power or batteries and has reached the end of its serviceable life — ranging from small items such as earphones, mobile phones and cables, to household appliances like air conditioners and washing machines.
While some of these devices are resold in the refurbished market or dismantled to recover valuable components, this downstream process is rarely considered by users eager to upgrade to the next gadget.
E-WASTE ‘TSUNAMI’
According to the Global E-waste Monitor released in 2024, the world generated a total of 62 million tonnes of e-waste, an average of 7.8 kg per capita in 2022 but only 22.3 per cent (13.8 million tonnes) of it was documented as properly collected and recycled.
In Malaysia, the Department of Environment (DOE) recorded 536,709.04 tonnes of e-waste processed by licensed facilities between January 2021 and June 2025, and estimates that 24.5 million units of e-waste will be discarded this year alone.
However, experts told Bernama that most components of damaged gadgets, that can no longer be repaired and recycled, usually end up in landfills, and many people are unaware that these components can release toxic substances.
Global waste trade watchdog ~ Basel Action Network (BAN) researcher, Wong Pui Yi said e-waste that is not properly collected and recycled are at risk of being illegally dumped or openly burnt, leaching toxic heavy metals and hazardous chemicals into the environment, contaminating our soil, water and air.
Even e-waste is collected, problems arise if it is sent to unlicensed or informal recycling facilities
She said that even when e-waste is collected, problems arise if it is sent to unlicensed or informal recycling facilities.
“Illegal scrap yards often operate without wastewater treatment, air pollution controls or worker safety measures such as personal protective equipment. Residual waste from dismantling activities is usually dumped at the lowest cost, which could be at illegal dump sites run by people charging a lower fee, or simply in the environment,” she said.
Wong said Malaysia has seen e-waste dumping along roadsides, in villages, rivers, and oil palm plantations, where components such as micro plastic and PVC cable scrap are discarded after valuable metals are extracted.
She added that many people are unaware that electronic products contain brominated flame retardants, chemicals added to plastics to make devices less flammable.
“While these substances make electronics more heat-resistant, scientists have found that many brominated flame retardants are persistent in the environment and have been linked to cancer as well as damage to our endocrine and immune systems, reproductive health, and brain development in children.
“Some of these compounds have been banned globally, but they are still present in older electronic products that are now being discarded and shipped around the world.
“As a result, it is highly likely that illegal dump sites in Malaysia are being contaminated with these toxic chemicals,” she said.
She added that investigations have found large amounts of foreign e-waste, particularly from the United States, being illegally smuggled into Malaysia despite being sent to certified collectors in those countries, raising concerns over enforcement gaps and weak monitoring of transboundary e-waste flows.
BAN’s latest report ‘Brokers of Shame: The New Tsunami of American E-Waste Exports in Asia’ on Oct 22 found, through trade data, field observations and independent GPS tracking, that significant volumes of electronics from the US continue to be exported to countries that have prohibited their import and often lack capacity for managing them.
The Royal Malaysian Customs Department detained a total of 354 containers suspected of containing e-waste and plastic waste at Port Klang last May.
The report found that containers tracked by BAN were routed through and to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and the United Arab Emirates despite clear bans under the Basel Convention and national regulations for these countries to lawfully receive the waste, because the US is not a Party to the Basel Convention.
(Basel Convention is an international treaty (1989) controlling the transboundary movement and disposal of hazardous wastes, aiming to stop toxic waste dumping from developed to developing nations and ensure environmentally sound management)
The report also estimated that each month, approximately 2,000 shipping containers (roughly 32,947 metric tonnes) filled with discarded e-waste are leaving American ports.
E-WASTE AS A STRATEGIC RESOURCE
Speaking at the iRECYCLE-Malaysia E-Waste Recycling Symposium here recently, Universiti Malaya (UM) Professor Emeritus Prof Dr Nik Meriam Nik Sulaiman, a fellow of Akademi Sains Malaysia, said Malaysia has strong potential to further strengthen its e-waste management ecosystem by enhancing infrastructure for high-value material recovery, while building on the important role already played by informal collectors.
Delivering her keynote address — a joint effort with senior lecturers from UM’s Department of Chemical Engineering, Dr Hanee Farzana Hizaddin and Dr Mohd Faidzul Hakim Mohd Adnan — she said that although informal collectors continue to form the backbone of early-stage e-waste recovery, greater investment in advanced recovery and refining capabilities would enable the country to unlock significantly more value from discarded electronic products.
Akademi Sains Malaysia's fellow, Emeritus Prof Dr Nik Meriam Nik Sulaiman (Pix Credit to Dr Nik Meriam)
She said Malaysia has strong potential to further strengthen its e-waste management ecosystem by enhancing infrastructure for high-value material recovery, while building on the important role already played by informal collectors.
Informal collectors remain the backbone of early-stage e-waste recovery, but greater investment in advanced recovery and refining capabilities would allow Malaysia to unlock more value from discarded electronic products, she added.
Nik Meriam noted that public awareness is gradually improving, and with global e-waste having increased by 82 per cent since 2010 — and projected to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030 without intervention — momentum is building worldwide for more sustainable solutions.
“Globally, an estimated US$62 billion (RM252.22 billion) worth of recoverable materials such as gold, copper and rare earth elements were discarded in 2022 alone. These are resources that can support Malaysia’s circular economy ambitions,” she said during a panel session at the half-day symposium.
She stressed that e-waste should be viewed not as a disposal burden, but as a strategic resource, noting that discarded electronics contain significant amounts of precious and critical materials, including gold, silver and palladium, as well as rare earth elements such as neodymium, dysprosium and terbium.
“In fact, electronic scrap can contain up to 70 times more gold per tonne than natural gold ore, making it a highly concentrated and valuable resource stream,” she said.
Components in electronic devices which contain precious metals and critical rare earth elements (Info graphic credit to iRecycle-Malaysia)
With global demand for critical minerals rising amid constrained supply, Nik Meriam said Malaysia is well-positioned to capitalise on this opportunity by strengthening advanced collection systems and investing in recovery and refining technologies.
“By doing so, Malaysia can position itself as a regional leader in the circular economy, while reducing reliance on primary mining and imported raw materials,” she added.
i-RECYCLE-MALAYSIA
Chair in Inorganic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at UK-based Queen’s University Belfast, Prof Peter Nockemann, said the rapid growth of e-waste presents not only a global environmental challenge, but also a strategic opportunity for countries such as Malaysia to play a stronger role in regional critical mineral recovery.
Speaking at the symposium, he said critical minerals underpin the global energy transition, powering technologies ranging from wind turbines and electric vehicles to digital infrastructure, even as fragile supply chains highlight the urgency of securing sustainable sources.
“This is not a problem unique to Malaysia — it is a global one. At the same time, e-waste is growing rapidly, and it represents a potential solution if managed correctly,” he said.
He stressed that e-waste should be treated as a valuable feedstock rather than discarded material, provided that recycling processes are clean, sustainable and minimise environmental and health risks.
“Recovering metals safely is crucial, as e-waste often contains hazardous substances such as arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium alongside valuable materials like gold, silver and copper, as well as critical metals that are harder to extract but increasingly important,” he said.
Chair in Inorganic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at UK-based Queen’s University Belfast, Prof Peter Nockemann (Pix credit to iRecycle-Malaysia)
To address this, Nockemann said iRecycle-Malaysia — a UK–Malaysia collaboration launched in 2024 — focuses on developing green and innovative recycling technologies, including replacing energy-intensive processes and reducing the use of harsh mineral acids through alternatives such as bioleaching.
The project brings together Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, the Universiti Malaya and Queen’s University Belfast, combining expertise in green chemistry, materials science, biotechnology, process engineering, life-cycle assessment and environmental policy.
“We are not only developing technology at the lab scale, but also working with piloting experts to scale it up, while economists and business specialists assess whether these solutions are commercially viable,” he said.
ALIGNING POLICIES, ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS
Earlier in her speech, Nik Meriam also said Malaysia already has multiple policies related to waste management, the circular economy and sustainability, but the key challenge lies in implementation and coordination.
“Malaysia has the policies in place — from scheduled waste management and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to circular economy frameworks and net-zero commitments — but governance remains fragmented, as not all states operate under the same legislation,” she said.
She called for a more harmonised and inclusive policy framework, supported by clear incentives, enforcement mechanisms and regulatory stability to attract ethical and sustainable supply chains.
Nik Meriam said collaboration among policymakers, industry players and communities is also essential, particularly in building stable markets for recovered materials.
“Industry needs predictable regulations, a stable supply of feedstock and a clear market for recovered materials. Without this, e-waste recycling will never become a viable business model,” she said.
She added that partnerships supported by agencies such as the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) are critical to demonstrate viable technologies and scale them beyond the laboratory.
Equally important, she stressed, is community involvement — including informal collectors — who play a vital role in the collection chain.
“E-waste does not start in factories. It starts with you and me. Responsible consumption and proper disposal begin at the household level,” she said.
RIGHT CHANNELS FOR E-WASTE DISPOSAL
On Nov 1, DOE Director-General Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaafar was reported as saying that 157 household e-waste collection centres are currently registered nationwide.
He said the number is expected to increase annually through collaboration with various stakeholders to expand collection facilities and enhance public awareness.
Environmental Department's director general, Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaafar
Improperly managed household e-waste, he warned, can contaminate soil, water and air, posing serious health risks due to exposure to toxic substances such as lead, mercury and cadmium.
Wan Abdul Latiff said the government would continue strengthening the national e-waste management system based on the principles of Extended Producer Responsibility and Shared Responsibility, which require cooperation across the entire e-waste value chain, from producers to consumers.
Among the key initiatives implemented by the department, he said, are the establishment of structured e-waste management mechanisms involving producers, importers, consumers, registered collection centres and DOE-licensed recovery facilities, as well as engagement sessions with industry players, local authorities, non-governmental organisations and consumer communities.
