Malaysia has imposed an import ban on all electronic waste, according to a report by "Bernama", Malaysia's national news agency. The import prohibition is meant to tighten controls on the import of hazardous materials and better protect the environment. In the summer of 2024, more than 100 containers of illegally imported waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) were discovered in the south-east Asian country during an inspection operation. The EU has banned shipments of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) to Malaysia and other non-OECD countries since the beginning of 2025.
Malaysia has reclassified e-waste, which now falls into the "absolute prohibition" category in customs regulations with immediate effect, the head of Malaysia’s anti-corruption commission said last week. It was previously subject to a "conditional prohibition". E-scrap may therefore no longer be imported into the country. The Malaysian state news agency noted that exceptions to the ban may be still be granted on a case-by-case basis by the director general of the Department of Environment (DOE). A committee had been established to "coordinate and strengthen enforcement related to e-waste", the chief commissioner of the Malasian Anti-corruption Commission (MACC) reportedly told Bernama.
The announcement comes amid a government probe into alleged corruption linked to e-waste management. As part of "Op Nature", the director-general of the Department of Environment and two other senior officials were arrested at the end of January. The arrests were made as part of investigations into allegations of graft in connection with illegal disposal of electronic waste, Bernama reported.
The special government task force that voted for the reclassification of WEEE is also considering a three-month moratorium on imports of plastic waste, according to state-run media. The body would consider the feasibility of a temporary ban on waste plastics imports before a final decision is made. After numerous reports of illegal waste shipments to Asia, barriers to export are growing higher. Hapag-Lloyd recently announced stricter requirements for waste plastic and scrap metal shipments to a number of south-east Asian destination countries, including Malaysia. The shipping line was responding to port backups in connection with more intensive customs enforcement in the region.
