Global Recycling Day falls on March 18 each year, and the aim is to promote the practice across the globe.
Electronic or e-waste is one of Malaysia's fastest-growing solid waste categories.
According to the 2020 Global E-Waste Monitor Report prepared by the United Nations University, 364,000 tonnes of e-waste were generated in Malaysia in 2019.
This includes industrial e-waste and household e-waste. Environment Department statistics showed there were 2,459 tonnes of household e-waste in Malaysia in 2021.
Mobile phones, laptops and televisions made up a good number of the items.
We still need to boost public awareness of e-waste management and disposal protocols, especially with regard to households.
The law in Malaysia identifies e-waste as a scheduled waste.
In addition, the law addresses the collection, storage, transport, recycling and disposal of industrial e-waste.
However, there is no legislative framework (drafting the regulations was discussed previously) on household e-waste, resulting in the growth of the informal e-waste management and value recovery sector.
There is debate on the positive and negative aspects of Malaysia's informal e-waste management sector.
Based on my observations, there are opportunities for informal waste collectors to benefit from the trade.
People tend to drop e-waste (for example, fluorescent tubes and printed circular boards) in public locations, such as the roadside and public properties, providing a business opportunity for informal waste collectors.
These collectors use a modified bike or bicycle to carry e-waste and recyclable materials, such as soft drink cans, bottles, cardboard and plastic items.
There are also collectors who search for material such as scrap metal to sell for upcycling.
It is understood that scrap metal collectors supply e-waste to informal and formal recyclers.
Then there are artisanal e-waste recyclers who recover items such as copper from electric cables and transformers in urban areas such as Kuala Lumpur.
I, however, do not recommend informal dismantling and recycling as they may pose occupational health and safety risks.
There is less transparency in the informal e-waste recyclers' supply chains, creating potential environmental issues, such as the mishandling of plastic fractions and the final solid residue of dismantling operations.
The value perception of household e-waste, such as old mobile phones and washing machines, also drives sales to informal collectors.
Although aware of informal e-waste recycling operations, people who dispose of or sell household waste do not understand the issues.
Thus, legislative frameworks are required to manage household e-waste.
It would be preferable to register informal waste collectors, who use a modified vehicle, under local government bodies considering their efficient role in the circular economy.
An extended producer responsibility (EPR — electrical and electronic equipment producers take responsibility for collecting distributed equipment, and consumers pay a recycling fee upon purchase) model is suggested as a solution for most countries in Southeast Asia.
This idea is presented in the "Unwaste Project" of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. This project focuses on Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The October 2022 quarterly bulletin of the project recognises e-waste studies conducted in Malaysia and recommends the integration of informal e-waste operations with formal operations in Malaysia.
In summary, I believe further research is required to understand and improve the operational characteristics of informal waste collectors and e-waste dismantlers.
The writer is a senior lecturer at Monash University Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times