E-waste management: an emerging global crisis and the Malaysian scenario

Rapid progress in standard of living and advances in information and communication technology (ICT) has generated an enormous amount of end of life electrical and electronic equipment which eventually become e-waste. Although it represents a small percentage of total solid waste, e-waste is the fast...

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Main Authors: Alias, Ahmad Faisal, Ishak, Mohd Bakri, Mohamad Zulkifli, Siti Nur Awanis, Abdul Jalil, Rusamah
Format: Article
Published: Integrated Publishing Association 2014
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37548/
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author Alias, Ahmad Faisal
Ishak, Mohd Bakri
Mohamad Zulkifli, Siti Nur Awanis
Abdul Jalil, Rusamah
author_facet Alias, Ahmad Faisal
Ishak, Mohd Bakri
Mohamad Zulkifli, Siti Nur Awanis
Abdul Jalil, Rusamah
author_sort Alias, Ahmad Faisal
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Rapid progress in standard of living and advances in information and communication technology (ICT) has generated an enormous amount of end of life electrical and electronic equipment which eventually become e-waste. Although it represents a small percentage of total solid waste, e-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world, with most of them flowing from developed to developing countries for the purpose of recovery and recycling activities. However, poor recovery and recycling facilities produce toxic residues which were eventually landfilled or openly incinerated with severe negative effects on human and environmental health. Although the Basel Convention and other legislations were introduced by nations to limit the global trans-boundary shipment of the highly toxic e-waste, the illicit trade is difficult to trace and regulate due to multiple loopholes. Consequently, only a small fraction of generated e-waste finds its way to licensed material recovery facilities (MRFs) for recycling purposes, while the rest is recovered by the informal sector in the developing countries. One of latest e-waste reduction strategies introduced is the extended producer responsibility. Although the issue of e-waste is quite new in Malaysia, the country is also grappling with the crisis and has become one the main destinations of the global e-waste trade.
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institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
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spelling upm-375482015-09-14T11:15:47Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37548/ E-waste management: an emerging global crisis and the Malaysian scenario Alias, Ahmad Faisal Ishak, Mohd Bakri Mohamad Zulkifli, Siti Nur Awanis Abdul Jalil, Rusamah Rapid progress in standard of living and advances in information and communication technology (ICT) has generated an enormous amount of end of life electrical and electronic equipment which eventually become e-waste. Although it represents a small percentage of total solid waste, e-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world, with most of them flowing from developed to developing countries for the purpose of recovery and recycling activities. However, poor recovery and recycling facilities produce toxic residues which were eventually landfilled or openly incinerated with severe negative effects on human and environmental health. Although the Basel Convention and other legislations were introduced by nations to limit the global trans-boundary shipment of the highly toxic e-waste, the illicit trade is difficult to trace and regulate due to multiple loopholes. Consequently, only a small fraction of generated e-waste finds its way to licensed material recovery facilities (MRFs) for recycling purposes, while the rest is recovered by the informal sector in the developing countries. One of latest e-waste reduction strategies introduced is the extended producer responsibility. Although the issue of e-waste is quite new in Malaysia, the country is also grappling with the crisis and has become one the main destinations of the global e-waste trade. Integrated Publishing Association 2014-01 Article PeerReviewed Alias, Ahmad Faisal and Ishak, Mohd Bakri and Mohamad Zulkifli, Siti Nur Awanis and Abdul Jalil, Rusamah (2014) E-waste management: an emerging global crisis and the Malaysian scenario. International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 4 (4). pp. 444-457. ISSN 0976-4402 http://www.ipublishing.co.in/ijesarticles/fourteen/lpages/0404/jeslpvol4issue40001.html 10.6088/ijes.2014040400001
spellingShingle Alias, Ahmad Faisal
Ishak, Mohd Bakri
Mohamad Zulkifli, Siti Nur Awanis
Abdul Jalil, Rusamah
E-waste management: an emerging global crisis and the Malaysian scenario
title E-waste management: an emerging global crisis and the Malaysian scenario
title_full E-waste management: an emerging global crisis and the Malaysian scenario
title_fullStr E-waste management: an emerging global crisis and the Malaysian scenario
title_full_unstemmed E-waste management: an emerging global crisis and the Malaysian scenario
title_short E-waste management: an emerging global crisis and the Malaysian scenario
title_sort e-waste management: an emerging global crisis and the malaysian scenario
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37548/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37548/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/37548/