PETALING JAYA: Following the discovery of 106 containers filled to the brim with hazardous electronic waste (ewaste) at the nation’s ports, an environmentalist has called for the setting up of a task force to monitor and curb illegal dumping.

Global waste watchdog group Basel Action Network (BAN) researcher Wong Pui Yi said civil society organisations should be included in multi-stakeholder meetings as practised by Thailand’s Pollution Control Board.

“Enforcement authorities must conduct regular spot checks to ensure that no illegal factories are set up in industrial and agricultural areas.

“This is increasingly more common in Selangor, Penang and Kedah, the more industrialised states,” she said when contacted.

Wong also called for maximum penalties for environmental offences.

“Judges must be aware of the severe long-term implications of environmental crimes and hand down sentences accordingly,” she said, urging the government to clamp down on corruption and emphasise good governance.

“Penalties for corrupt officials and those offering bribes must be swift and heavy,” she added.

Wong said illegal ewaste dumping has been happening over the years, adding that it has begun to escalate.

She described treating ewaste as “extremely toxic”, saying it can release up to 1,000 chemical substances and heavy metals, including chromium, cadmium, lead and nickel into the environment.

“The leachates from facilities and dumpsites contaminate our soil, water and air, especially when burned.

“It is very dangerous to people working in the facilities or living in the vicinity, especially pregnant women and children, leading to irreversible health effects, such as cancer and miscarriages, among others,” she said.

In a separate statement, BAN said it had alerted the Malaysian government on the shipments discovered on Wednesday, resulting in the discovery of the 106 containers filled with ewaste.

Apart from notifying the government, BAN had also notified its partner, Sahabat Alam Malaysia.

BAN executive director Jim Puckett said they welcomed the opportunity to assist the Malaysian government with high-quality enforcement intelligence to detain these shipments and arrest any accomplices.

“We will do all we can to see that the perpetrators take these containers back, and that exporters are held to account,” he said in the statement.

“Individuals, businesses and governments must be vigilant against unscrupulous actors in the waste disposal chain and ensure that it is managed ethically and, most importantly, minimised.”

On Wednesday, authorities identified 106 containers with hazardous ewaste at the nation’s ports, with nearly 200 more containers suspected to hold similar cargo.

Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said that from March 21 to June 19, the Customs Department seized a staggering 301 containers believed to contain illegal ewaste.

Of these, he said 106 containers were found “filled to the brim” with ewaste and scrap metal, primarily from developed countries, such as the United States.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/06/28/group-form-panel-to-monitor-and-curb-ewaste-dumping