Over half a million tonnes of e-waste processed since 2021, DOE wants tougher control
Environment director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaafar said e-waste is increasing in line with the widespread use of digital devices.
"If e-waste is not managed properly and disposed of carelessly, it can have major implications for human health and the environment.
In this regard, DOE has implemented various initiatives to improve e-waste management, including expanding licensed e-waste recovery facilities and there are 128 recovery facilities nationwide to date," he said in a statement here on Thursday (July 31).
He said other initiatives included strengthening public awareness campaigns to promote the safe disposal of used electrical equipment and increasing enforcement against unlicensed e-waste management through two special operations, namely Ops Hazard, which were carried out with 351 legal actions taken under the Environmental Quality Act (EQA) 1974.
"DOE calls on the community and industry to be responsible in managing e-waste in an environmentally friendly manner by channeling them to legal recovery facilities," he said.
In addition, Wan Abdul Latiff said the haze issue was also a major focus because it also had a serious health impact on the community.
According to him, the DOE constantly monitors the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings through 68 air quality monitoring stations nationwide every hour over 24 hours through the Environmental Quality Data Centre (EDC) in Putrajaya.
"At the international level, Malaysia continues to work with neighbouring countries through the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution to coordinate prevention and mitigation actions for land and forest fires in the region.
"Through this platform, Malaysia has also voiced various proposals and initiatives to neighbouring countries to combat the issue of open fires that can cause transboundary haze," he said.
At the domestic level, Wan Abdul Latiff said various actions were also implemented immediately including law enforcement and patrols in hotspots, extinguishing open fires with related agencies as well as the delegation of power to 13 other agencies which was gazetted on July 7 and came into effect on July 8 to strengthen the whole of government approach.
"This step is a strategic initiative to strengthen the implementation of enforcement actions on the ground, especially in addressing the issue of open burning that contributes to the haze situation. This delegation of power allows for immediate, integrated and more comprehensive action to be implemented quickly by relevant agencies," he said.
He said as a more comprehensive preparedness and coordination measure, the National Open Burning Action Plan and the National Haze Action Plan have also been activated since Feb 26 to coordinate the actions of government agencies in addressing the issue of open burning and facing the national haze situation.
In addition, he said patrol and monitoring cooperation was also carried out with strategic partner agencies such as the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) and other enforcement agencies at the state and district levels.
"As of July 30, 2025, the DOE has carried out 4,247 land patrols, 859 drone flights to monitor open burning activities and 58 Notices of Instruction, 27 court actions and 59 compounds were imposed on parties who committed offences related to open burning," he said. - Bernama
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DOE ramps up haze battle
KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Environment (DOE) has stepped up enforcement and surveillance at open burning hotspots to tackle the haze, says its director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar (pic). As of July 30, a total of 4,247 patrols and 859 aerial surveillance missions using drones had been carried out. Wan Abdul Latiff said the DOE monitors the air pollution index hourly from its environmental data centre in Putrajaya via 68 surveillance stations nationwide. 'We need to give serious attention to the haze as it can impact the health of the people,' he said in a media engagement session here yesterday. He added that 27 offenders had charged in court, while 59 compound notices were issued to other parties since January. The DOE had also extinguished fires with the assistance of 13 agencies under a joint initiative. Wan Abdul Latiff said Malaysia is also working closely with neighbouring countries under the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution to prevent and mitigate forest and peat fires. 'Through this platform, Malaysia has proposed initiatives for neighbouring countries to adopt, in order to eradicate open burning that may cause or worsen haze in the region,' he said. On the issue of e-waste, Wan Abdul Latiff said the increasing use of electronic devices has led to a corresponding rise in e-waste. Between January 2021 and June 2025, more than 536,709 tonnes of e-waste were recycled by DOE-approved companies. Among the DOE's e-waste management initiatives is the expansion of e-waste collection centres, currently numbering 128 premises nationwide. Other efforts include increased enforcement against illegal e-waste recycling companies through the department's Ops Hazard, as well as public awareness campaigns on safe disposal practices. 'If e-waste is not properly managed and is indiscriminately disposed of, it can pose serious risks to daily life, particularly due to its hazardous effects on health and the environment,' he said. The DOE also revealed that 88% of illegal e-waste originated from the United States. Canada, Singapore and the United Kingdom accounted for 2% each. Since 2015, up to 660 shipments of e-waste have been ordered to be returned to their countries of origin. Separately, Wan Abdul Latiff said shortage of manpower continues to pose a major challenge to the enforcement of environmental laws. He said that while the ideal workforce strength is at least 4,100 staff members, the DOE is currently operating at only about 25% capacity, at 1,113 personnel.
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20 hours ago
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[UPDATED] DoE deploys drones to monitor open burning
KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Environment (DoE) has conducted 4,247 ground patrols and 859 drone flights this year to monitor open burning activities nationwide. DoE director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar said these statistics, recorded up to July this year, are part of the department's ongoing enforcement efforts. "So far, the department has issued 58 directive notices, initiated 27 court actions, and imposed 59 compounds on offenders involved in open burning," he said during an engagement session today. "Air pollution and haze remain key concerns due to their serious health implications. The DoE continuously monitors the Air Pollutant Index (API) at 68 air quality monitoring stations nationwide, operating 24 hours a day via the Environmental Data Centre (EDC) in Putrajaya," he added. Also present was DoE Air Division director Nor Aziah Jaafar. Latiff said Malaysia continues to work closely with neighbouring countries under the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution to coordinate preventive and mitigation actions regarding land and forest fires in the region. "Through this platform, Malaysia has put forward several proposals and initiatives to neighbouring countries to curb open burning activities that cause transboundary haze," he said. He added that domestically, various immediate actions are being taken, including strict enforcement of environmental laws, hotspot monitoring, firefighting operations in collaboration with relevant agencies, and the delegation of authority to 13 other government agencies. He said these agencies were officially gazetted on July 7, with enforcement beginning the following day. "This strategic initiative enhances field enforcement capacity, especially in tackling open burning, a major contributor to haze conditions. With the delegation of authority, quicker and more coordinated responses can now be carried out by multiple agencies," he said. Latiff said to strengthen preparedness and ensure coordinated responses, the National Open Burning Action Plan and the National Haze Action Plan have also been activated since Feb 26 to streamline government agency efforts in handling open burning and haze situations. "Additionally, joint patrols and monitoring efforts are being carried out with strategic partners such as the Civil Defence Force and other enforcement bodies at both state and district levels," he said. He urged the public not to engage in open burning and to report any suspicious activities to the DoE via its toll-free hotline at 1-800-88-2727.
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Over half a million tonnes of e-waste processed since 2021, DOE wants tougher control
PUTRAJAYA: The Department of Environment (DOE) recorded 536,709.04 tonnes of electrical and electronic waste or e-waste processed by licensed premises from January 2021 to June 2025. Environment director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaafar said e-waste is increasing in line with the widespread use of digital devices. "If e-waste is not managed properly and disposed of carelessly, it can have major implications for human health and the environment. In this regard, DOE has implemented various initiatives to improve e-waste management, including expanding licensed e-waste recovery facilities and there are 128 recovery facilities nationwide to date," he said in a statement here on Thursday (July 31). He said other initiatives included strengthening public awareness campaigns to promote the safe disposal of used electrical equipment and increasing enforcement against unlicensed e-waste management through two special operations, namely Ops Hazard, which were carried out with 351 legal actions taken under the Environmental Quality Act (EQA) 1974. "DOE calls on the community and industry to be responsible in managing e-waste in an environmentally friendly manner by channeling them to legal recovery facilities," he said. In addition, Wan Abdul Latiff said the haze issue was also a major focus because it also had a serious health impact on the community. According to him, the DOE constantly monitors the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings through 68 air quality monitoring stations nationwide every hour over 24 hours through the Environmental Quality Data Centre (EDC) in Putrajaya. "At the international level, Malaysia continues to work with neighbouring countries through the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution to coordinate prevention and mitigation actions for land and forest fires in the region. "Through this platform, Malaysia has also voiced various proposals and initiatives to neighbouring countries to combat the issue of open fires that can cause transboundary haze," he said. At the domestic level, Wan Abdul Latiff said various actions were also implemented immediately including law enforcement and patrols in hotspots, extinguishing open fires with related agencies as well as the delegation of power to 13 other agencies which was gazetted on July 7 and came into effect on July 8 to strengthen the whole of government approach. "This step is a strategic initiative to strengthen the implementation of enforcement actions on the ground, especially in addressing the issue of open burning that contributes to the haze situation. This delegation of power allows for immediate, integrated and more comprehensive action to be implemented quickly by relevant agencies," he said. He said as a more comprehensive preparedness and coordination measure, the National Open Burning Action Plan and the National Haze Action Plan have also been activated since Feb 26 to coordinate the actions of government agencies in addressing the issue of open burning and facing the national haze situation. In addition, he said patrol and monitoring cooperation was also carried out with strategic partner agencies such as the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) and other enforcement agencies at the state and district levels. "As of July 30, 2025, the DOE has carried out 4,247 land patrols, 859 drone flights to monitor open burning activities and 58 Notices of Instruction, 27 court actions and 59 compounds were imposed on parties who committed offences related to open burning," he said. - Bernama
