Malaysia widens e-waste crackdown beyond Port Klang [WATCH]

PORT KLANG: More than 31,000 tonnes of electronic waste packed into 1,257 containers were abandoned at Port Klang, prompting a multi-agency crackdown that has expanded beyond the port to suspected illegal storage and processing facilities inland.

What began as an operation to clear the backlog has evolved into a wider enforcement effort involving re-exports, investigations, licence action and raids on premises suspected of handling e-waste illegally.

Malaysia Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) Port Klang joint task force records show that the 1,257 containers were abandoned in 2024 and 2025, with their contents estimated to weigh 31,475 tonnes.

MCBA Port Klang commander Datuk Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal said the operation involved close cooperation between enforcement agencies to clear the backlog and take action against those responsible.

"Of the 1,257 containers, 772 were linked to police investigations under anti-money laundering laws, 375 were handled by the Customs Department and 112 by MCBA," he said in an exclusive interview recently.

The three-phase operation has shipped out 647 containers containing an estimated 16,177 tonnes of e-waste. The task force puts the operation at 51 per cent complete.

The third phase, from Oct 1 to Dec 31, covers the remaining 578 containers, Nik Ezanee said.

But the operation is no longer limited to Port Klang.

Enforcement teams have also taken action against suspected illegal e-waste operations outside the port, including a storage facility in Kapar where 25 foreigners were detained and items worth RM3.1 million were seized.

The raid underscored the challenge of tracking imported waste after it enters the country.

Nik Ezanee said enforcement efforts must also target businesses, storage facilities and processing centres that receive and handle e-waste illegally.

The financial incentive behind the trade adds to the challenge, as discarded electronic equipment can contain recoverable materials, including precious metals.

Nik Ezanee said clearing the existing backlog addressed only part of the problem.

"The bigger task is identifying those responsible for bringing the material into Malaysia and shutting down the channels that allow unwanted electronic waste to be imported, abandoned, stored or processed illegally.

"With another 578 containers scheduled to be dealt with under phase three, the operation is entering its final and largest stage."

The success of the crackdown will be measured not merely by how many containers leave Port Klang, but by whether authorities can prevent another backlog.