KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has seized 106 containers of dangerous electronic waste over the last three months and busted an illegal waste import syndicate after a tip-off from a watchdog group, a minister said.
Tens of millions of tons of e-waste are produced globally every year, and many discarded devices and appliances can leak heavy metals, plastics and other toxic chemicals.
Many countries, including Malaysia, have banned the import of e-waste, though illegal shipments remain a problem.
Between Mar 21 and Jun 19 this year, Malaysian inspectors found 106 shipping containers filled with e-waste, authorities said on Wednesday (Jun 26).
Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Malaysia’s natural resources and environmental sustainability minister, said the containers will be sent back to their countries of origin, without providing details about where they came from.
He added that an illegal import syndicate was involved.
“This syndicate uses false documentation to import waste for recycling purposes,” he told reporters after inspecting the seized containers on Wednesday at Port Klang, west of the capital Kuala Lumpur.
One container shown to the press was filled with what appeared to be piles of server racks.
