GEORGE TOWN, July 13 — The Department of Environment (DoE) has returned a container to its country of origin, the United States, after it was found to have brought in e-waste without prior informed consent.

According to a statement from Penang DoE director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab, an order was issued for the container to be sent back after DoE and Customs officers inspected the container at the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) yesterday.

Electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) were found inside the container and brought to Malaysia for illegal disposal here, she said.

"Among the e-waste found in the container were damaged electronic screen pads, electric board parts and various electronic components,” she said.

The container was found to originate from the United States so an order under Section 31 and 37 of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 was issued to the importer to send the container back to the country of origin.

"The failure of the importer to adhere to the order will lead to strict actions against them without further notice,” she said.

She said any parties found to have imported scheduled waste, including e-waste, into Malaysia without prior informed consent from the DoE director-general will have committed an offence under Section 34B of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 which carries a fine of not more than RM500,000 and a jail term of not more than five years, upon conviction.

Sharifah said the import of e-waste into the country is banned unless it was brought in under conditions as stated in Part I of the Third Schedule of the Customs (Prohibition of imports) Order 2017.

"The disposal of e-waste must be done in accordance with certain methods as the waste contains dangerous materials such as heavy metals that could pollute the environment if not handled in an environmentally sound manner,” she said.

She pointed out that under the Basel Convention, prior approval from the receiving and transit countries were needed before the importation of any scheduled waste including e-waste.

According to the basic principles of the Basel Convention, all waste must be treated or disposed of at its country of origin except for specific reasons such as the lack of waste treatment facilities and their having obtained prior informed consent from the DoE.