Discovering opportunities to meet the challenges of an effective waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling system in Malaysia

The topic of managing waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE or e-waste) has become important in recent years due to complexity in managing it. In the present study, various aspects of e-waste management in Malaysia were explored to identify the present challenges and opportunities toward proper e-waste management. While there was limited accessibility to data and research on e-waste management in Malaysia, various reports and publications were assessed to achieve the objectives of the study. In addition to exploring the current situation of e-waste management in Malaysia, the present study also attempted to provide referential information on e-waste management in Malaysia and for researchers and other interested parties working on developing effective e-waste management. Various aspects of the current e-waste management systems in Malaysia were highlighted and discussed. The main findings revealed that although there are regulations directly dealing with e-waste in Malaysia, proper household e-waste management is in its infancy, with various proposed regulations on e-waste generated by households still far from completion. A proper e-waste management system for households is urgently required to not only reduce the possibility of e-waste flow into the current municipal solid waste facilities but also to maximize the utilization of currently available e-waste processing infrastructures and facilities. In the meantime, there is an urgent need to raise awareness in Malaysian households of the implications of improper e-waste disposal in order to fill the knowledge gaps regarding the adverse environmental and human health impacts of improper e-waste disposal. As the quantity of e-waste being generated increases rapidly alongside healthy economic conditions, government intervention and support for fostering sustainable development of e-waste management in Malaysia were also discussed.