Electronic waste, or e-waste, is now the fastest-growing waste in the world. According to UNEP, worldwide every year, 20- 50 million metric tonnes of e- waste is generated and the rate of increase is 3% - 5 % globally. Developing countries like Malaysia are expected to triple their output of e-waste by 2010.

Some European countries have imposed ban on the disposal of electronic waste in landfills and implemented ‘Weee’ (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and RoHS (Restrictions on Hazardous Substances) directives to control the volume of e-waste in the region.

Countries such as Japan and the member nations of the European Union have laws that regulate e-waste disposal. Internationally, the Basel Convention treaty restricts the export of hazardous waste from developed countries to developing countries. Malaysia is part of this convention.

The Malaysian Association of Standards Users would like to raise the issue of e-waste generated by households such as batteries, chargers and obsolete computer parts. Where do you, as a consumer, discard these and other similar items no longer functional due to new models which render the old parts useless?

The most obvious facility is the normal rubbish or garbage bins in our homes. Currently, most of us do not sort our waste which results in these e-wate containing heavy metals ending up in landfills which eventually degrade and pollute our water resources. There is no proper recycling mechanism in place at the moment to encourage consumers to recycle or discard e- waste.

In Malaysia e-waste is categorised as scheduled wastes under the code SW 110, First Schedule, Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005. But this act does not deal with household waste.

The government, namely the Housing and Local Government Ministry launched the ‘3R’ campaign which did not really meet its objectives in changing public behaviour to reduce, reuse or recycle waste. Our recycling rate is 5%, whereas in Thailand it is 50%, Singapore 56% and Phillipines is 12%..

There is additional work to be done to sensitise the public on the importance of managing their e-waste responsibly.

Electronic products like computers and mobile phones contain a lot of different toxins. For example, cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in computers contain heavy metals such as lead, barium and cadmium which can be very harmful to health if they enter the water system. These materials can cause damage to human nervous and respiratory systems.

Flame-retardant plastics used in electronics casings can release substances that damage human endocrine functions.

Besides consumers or the general public, industries and government agencies also need to promote interoperability of electronic and electrical equipment. Interoperability means standardising the compatibility of components, spare parts and accessories among the different product lines and those of different product lines and brands.

Fir example, a consumer does not need to buy different chargers to suit different mobile phones when he/she buys a new mobile phone. The charger can be re-used again and thus helps in reducing e- waste.

Another method that the industry can look into is by introducing a multipurpose battery so that it can be used in different gadgets. Similarly too USB data cables, ear phone jacks, power adapters, remote controls etc.

It also helps consumers to spend less and reduce waste in the form of e-waste. Industry leaders must ensure that interoperability issues are addressed from the design stage of their products to ensure that it facilitates waste management and increase user-friendliness for consumers.

The writer is attached to the Malaysian Association of Standards Users.