Review on Current Status of Waste Electric and Electronic Product in Malaysia

Abstract

In the last years, there is an increasing acknowledgment of our impact on the environment due to our lifestyle, while the need to adopt a more sustainable approach as to our consumption habits emerges as of particular significance. This trend regards industrial sectors affecting the consumption habits and, especially, electronic industry where the short life cycles and the rapidly developing technology have led to increased e-waste volumes, such as discarded electronic equipment. Waste Electric and Electronic Product or E-waste is referred to all kind of electric and electronic equipments and appliances that is thrown by users. The majority of such elements result in landfills because it is inexpensive disposal option. The E-waste has become a matter of concern because of toxic and hazardous present in electronic goods and if not properly managed. This equipments are a complicated assembly of thousand material, many of which one highly toxic such as brominates substances, toxic gases, toxic metals, biologically active material, acids, plastics and plastics additives. However, their partial recyclability, due to their material composition along with the unavoidable restrictions in landfills, has led to the development of retrieval techniques for their recycling and re-use, highlighting the significance of e-waste recycling, not only from a waste management aspect but also from a valuable materials' retrieval aspect. This paper provides an overview of E-waste generation and management in Malaysia, which, with rapid economic growth and urbanization, is becoming a major social and environmental issue. Thus, major concern for E-waste management in Malaysia has addressed to environmental protection, compared to quantity control. The challenge now is to make the practice effectively in the many different contexts in Malaysia.

A Systematic Review of E-Waste Generation and Environmental Management of Asia Pacific Countries

“…In Malaysia, e-waste is classified as scheduled waste under the code SW 110, "Environmental Quality Regulations 2005" and managed by the Department of Environment (DOE) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) [78,79]. The primary role of DOE and MNRE is pollution prevention and control through the enforcement of the "Environmental Quality Act 1974" (EQA 1974) [79,80]. Although there are strategies on e-waste management in place, they do not adequately guide the local consumers or the municipal authorities on how e-waste should be managed, reused, recycled, or disposed of [78].…”

A Study on Barriers to Implement E-Waste Management

“…This study finding shows the majority of the respondents feel that the e-waste still have values, therefore they keep it in their house. This can explain the reason of them to keep the e-waste and do not direct throw or recycle it [13]. Based on the study of Ahmand Kalana, 2010., stated that most of the households do not know the proper way in disposing e-waste and how to dispose the electronic waste [31].…”

“…The e-waste recycle in Malaysia is challenging due to there is no any mechanism can do the proper segregation in a proper way [13]. There are several techniques and technology can be used to deal with e-waste to improve the management of e-waste in Malaysia.…”

A Performance on Awareness of e-waste Management among University Students

“…In total there are 138 e-waste recovery facilities in Malaysia, whereby only 16 are categorized under full recovery facility and 122 as partial recovery facility. These facilities are to perform the recovery process of precious (gold, silver, and platinum) and valuable (copper, aluminium, and nickel) metals [8].…”