Malaysia imposes ban on e-waste imports

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia has imposed a ban on imports of electronic waste, as it looks to tighten controls on the entry of hazardous materials and safeguard the environment, the head of the country's anti-graft body said.

The Southeast Asian nation is among the world's top destinations for plastic waste and other scrap, but has struggled to fend off a deluge of generally illegal unrecyclable garbage.

Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Azam Baki, who chairs a government taskforce on the issue, said e-waste would be reclassified under the "Absolute Prohibition" category in customs regulations effective immediately.

"E-waste is no longer allowed to enter the country and strict enforcement will be needed involving all agencies," Azam said in a statement on Wednesday.

The taskforce is also discussing a proposal for a three-month moratorium on the importation of plastic waste, he said.

The announcement comes amid a probe into corruption linked to e-waste management.

Last week, MACC detained the director-general and two other top officials of the environment department as part of an investigation into graft linked to illegal e-waste disposal activities, state news agency Bernama reported.

It is unclear how much e-waste is imported illegally into Malaysia. Environmental group Basel Action Network in a report last year estimated that the United States alone exported about 32,947 metric tons of e-waste per month with Malaysia being the primary recipient.

Many of the exports were likely illegal, it said.

-Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Martin Petty/Reuters