Closing workshop on 5 Feb 2013

The presentation materials used in the closing workshop on 5 Feb 2013 were uploaded here.

A Workshop for sharing the progress of the Pilot Project was held on Nov. 1st, 2012.

Six months have passed since the Pilot Project for collecting e-waste in Penang Island was started on June 2nd, 2012.  A workshop for sharing the progress of the Pilot Project and the data accumulated for these six months was held in Penang Island on November 1st, 2012.

The workshop was opened by Dato' Hassan Bin Mat, Director, Department of Environment Penang. He emphasized the importance of the proper management of e-wastes from households.

The next speaker was Mr. Foo Kok Beng, Senior Assistant Environmental Health Officer, of Municipal Council of Penang Island (MPPP). He introduced MPPP’s plan to upgrade their original e-waste collection system initiated in 2004 through the collaboration with DELL and PEWOG (Penang Environment Working Group). MPPP is starting a new e-waste collection system for all types of e-waste, while MPPP only collects personal computers under the original system started in 2004. 

Also, he showed MPPP’s will to continue with the Pilot Project on their own  with DOE Penang even after the E-waste Penang Project coordinated by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), noting that the Project is ending next March.

Dato' Dr. Ong Hean Tee, Chairperson of PEWOG invited by Mr. Foo Kok Beng, promised to support MPPP by emphasizing the importance of a round-table meeting among all stakeholders.

Mr. Hideki Wada, JICA Expert of Penang E-waste Project, reported that the Pilot Project is going well so far by introducing some results of the data analysis. The cooperation rate of people is rather low: 10-20% for home electric appliances and 30% for mobile phones, due to the low awareness  among the people. If the Pilot Project gains recognition by 100% of the people, the expected cooperation rates would go up to 20-40% for home electric appliances and to 60% for mobile phones, where the present recognition rate among the people is around 40%.  The estimation will be updated with the future data of collected e-wastes.

By using these data, the “Willingness to be paid” model were developed and introduced as a practical planning tool.  These formulas can tell us about appropriate prices of e-wastes so as to attain a certain cooperation rate, assuming that the major factor defining people’s discarding behaviors is “price”.  If the price cannot be covered by the price shown by the full recovery facility, the gap might be borne by the social cost by introducing a new mechanism.

The workshop proceeded to the questions and discussions part after expectations for the Pilot Project  were stated from the official supporters and the local participating retailers.

The participants mainly discussed two things. One was about who shall bear the social cost, and the other was about further necessary actions for proper e-waste management.

About the social cost allocation, a participant proposed that consumers can bear the cost if it is included in the prices of e-products, even though any subsidization from governmental sectors may be effective as a short-term measures.  Mr. Wada showed his concern  that any subsidization from the governmental agencies might spoil the market mechanism.

About the further necessary actions, involvement of the informal sector and regulation on import/export were pointed out.

The workshop was closed by the words of Mr. Wada: “The Pilot Project is just a baby. Please bring up this baby by your cooperation.”

Presentations of the Workshop on Nov. 1, 2012

The presentations presented in the Workshop on Nov. 1 can be downloaded  here.

(The presentation from MPPP has been uploaded.)

Pilot Project Progress will be reported in the next workshop.

A workshop for reporting the progress of the Pilot Project are being held in Penang on Nov. 1.

Please check here.

Training in Japan and Business Matching Seminar in Tokyo

Some members of the full recovery facilities in charge of the pilot project came to Japan in a training program coordinated by JICA. The purpose of the training program is to develop the e-waste dismantling techniques. They visited some e-waste recycling factories and experienced how to dismantle e-wastes from households. It is expected that this training will contribute to open up a new perspective of the technology and the method of processing e-wastes.

Practicing how to dismantle e-waste (at Panasonic Eco Technology Center Co., Ltd. (PETEC))(Photo provided by PETEC)

In the training programs, “Business Matching Seminar” was held on 12 September, 2012 in JICA HQ Office, Tokyo, inviting Japanese private companies, academics and mass media. JICA and the JICA expert team explained the basic statistics of Malaysian economy, rules and regulations for recycling and the findings of the pilot project so far. The participants and the two full recovery facilities got to know each other toward future mutual business opportunities.

The Pilot Project was launched!

Since March, we prepared for the Pilot Project for collecting e-wastes from households for recycling. We discussed the concept in the Local Working Group, invited the local businesses, developed the monitoring system, designed the paper media for advertisement and prepared the opening events. Finally, we could start the Pilot Project on June 2. You can visit http://www.facebook.com/ewaste.Penang managed by the local businesses with the related organizations for the further information.

In the Pilot Project, two home electric appliance shops and two mobile phone shops are ready to collect e-wastes from households. Home electric appliance shops are offering to take back the e-wastes from households upon delivery of the purchased products, while it is a good timing for mobile phone shops to offer the customer to recycle their mobile phones in the shops upon purchase. The progress of the Pilot Project will be reported soon.

Two series of events were held for celebrating the launching.

On June 1, the opening workshop was held. The Pilot Project was celebrated by the opening remarks from Mr. Masayuki Hayashi, JICA Malaysia and Dr. Zulkifli Abdul Rahman, Deputy Director General (Operation), DOE Putrajaya. Also, Deputy Consul-General, Consulate-General of Japan in Penang attended for celebrating the Pilot Project commencement.

The local businesses who participated in the Pilot Project expressed their expectations, after Mr. Hideki Wada explained the concept of the Pilot Project.

On June 2, the opening outdoor event was held. The VIPs in Penang, including Consul-General, Consulate-General of Japan in Penang made the speeches. In the event site, nine companies and organizations including EPSON, Dell and the local businesses opened the booths appealing to the visitors about the importance of the environment. Also, the lucky draw was given to the visitor for further attention. Three official supporters including Toshiba provided their products for the lucky draw prizes.

Presentation in Pilot Project Worshop

The presentation in the Pilot Project Launching Workshop on June 1, 2012 can be downloaded here.

Two important meetings were launched in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

After coming back to Malaysia from the study tour in Japan, we proceeded to the next step, the planning stage by setting up two meetings.

For designing the e-waste recycling policy, a meeting named “Official Consultative Meeting” was set up.  For designing the pilot project in Penang Island, a local working group was set up by the state government.

On March 26, the first official consultative meeting was held by inviting the EEE manufactures. DOE explained that collection of e-waste from households is the focal issue and any regulations with EPR policy might be necessary. DOE emphasized to listen from the industrial side first and the consultative meeting was set up for this purpose. The participants from the industrial side agreed to present any ideas and opinions in the next consultative meeting.

In the previous week to the consultative meeting, on March 23, the local working group in Penang Island was held chaired by the state government. Some EEE retailers, hypermarket stores and mobile phone service providers participated. The ideas on the pilot project were introduced and discussed. They agreed to consider the possibilities to participate in the pilot project and present in the next meeting.

The pilot project is being planned in detail based on the ideas of any necessary policies.

Policy design was discussed in the official consultative meeting in Kuala Lumpur on March 26.

The pilot project design was discussed in the local working group meeting in Penang Island on March 23.

The study tour in Japan successfully ended.

The study tour for the counterparts was held for 12 days between 18th Feb. and 29th.

They heard from the related Ministries and industries to know the laws/regulations in Japan for e-waste recycling and also visited some recycling factories.

Based on the knowledge on the laws/regulations in Japan, we discussed possible regulations suitable for the situations in Malaysia. Also, ideas for the pilot project starting in next June tentatively were discussed based on the ideas for the future policies.

The Japanese experts are coming back to Penang on 4th March to discuss with the counterparts further.

The team visited a partial recovery facility in Tokyo.

The team discussed future possible policies based on the lessons learnt in the Japan tour.

Idea sharing workshop was held.

A workshop to share ideas on what collection system for e-waste from households is applicable was held in Penang on 17 Jan. 2012.

Y. Bhg. Datin Paduka Che Asmah Ibrahim, Director of Hazardous Substances Division of DOE Putrajaya opened the workshop with a message that it is very important to listen from the industrial side first.

Mr. Hideki Wada, the team leader of JICA expert team made a presentation first on the amount of e-waste and the current e-waste flow. Also, he pointed out by showing the result of the questionnaire survey to households that 1) the number of collection centers should be increased, 2) it is convenient for households to have retailers take back old equipment when new products are delivered, and 3) economic incentive for e-waste collection should be added.

Mr. Xavier Sebastian, Municipal Council of Penang Island, explained the conventional e-waste collection businesses from households by showing the photographs.

Mr. Mohd Fitri Mohd Mokhtar, DOE Penang, reminded us the functions of the partial recovery facilities and the full recovery facilities under the current e-waste related policies.

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Manufactures and full recovery companies were expected to make presentations based on many experiences related to e-waste collection.

Mr. Bu Fan, DELL, expressed very positive opinions on behalf of manufactures and proposed the following ideas as “shared responsibilities among stakeholders”.

• Involvement of conventional recyclers is very important.
• Multiple collection channels such as 1) take-in/trade-in by retailers, 2) voluntary collection by community groups and 3) municipal waste management services should be facilitated with contribution from manufactures.
• The characteristics of target products should be considered. The characteristics of home electric appliance and ICT (information and communication technology) products are different.

Mr. John Ashok, TES-AMM Malaysia, a full recovery company, proposed an e-waste collection system by taking the China model as an example.

After all presentations, the participants raised many questions to the speakers for deeper understanding. The workshop for sharing the ideas and opinions were closed successfully.

The participants left their ideas and opinions inspired by the speakers in “Idea Sheets”, which are being arranged by the expert team.

The project is proceeding to the next step.

Presentations in the workshop held on Jan 17, 2012

You can download the presentations here.

The second workshop is being held on January 17, 2011.

We are now compiling the data obtained in the series of the studies to an e-waste flow.


The result will be delivered in the coming workshop as one of the basic information for discussing the pilot project.


Not only such data, to make the discussion more effective, we asked to some manufactures of electrical & electronic equipment to make presentations which include their ideas on what kind of systems are appropriate to collect e-waste from household. We could expect them some good ideas from their worldwide perspective and experiences.


Also, we asked some full-recovery recyclers to make such presentations. We are looking forward to hearing their ideas from the persons who know the local conditions very well.

Taskforce Meeting was held on 21 December 2011.

The 4^th Taskforce meeting was held in Penang Island on 21 December 2011 following the last Taskforce meeting on December 5, 2011. The members of DOE Headquarters, DOE Penang and MPPP discussed present e-waste flow based on some results from surveys, targeting e-waste generators, recyclers, e-waste collection centres authorized by MPPP and retailers, etc. The e-waste flow in Penang Island is being described with quantities and traded prices.

We also discussed that all relevant actors should share the current e-waste flow for discussing appropriate e-waste collection systems in Penang Island. For this, the Taskforce meeting decided to hold a workshop in Penang Island on January 17, 2012. It is expected that all relevant actors share their opinions and discuss the future e-waste collection system based on the current e-waste flow.

E-waste Flow Surveys are being finalized.

During the past few months, we concentrated on two surveys for describing the e-waste flow in Penang Island.

One is the questionnaire survey to the e-waste generators including businesses, such as hotels, restaurants and offices and another one is the interviews to the e-waste recyclers including small recycling collectors and dealers.

In the survey, the amount of e-waste, the dealing prices and the vintages of e-waste for calculating the future amount of e-waste were studied and the data is now being analyzed.

The first JCC was held.

The first Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) was held on November 3,
2011 chaired by Ms. Datin Paduka Che Asmah Bt. Ibrahim, Director of
Hazardous Substances Division of DOE.


The role of JCC is:
-       To approve the annual work plan of the Project,
-       To review the overall progress and achievements of the Project,
-       To examine major issues arising from or in connection with the Project,
-       To work out the modification of activities depending on the necessity; and
-       To discuss any other issue(s) pertinent to the smooth implication of
the Project.

Scenes from the kickoff seminar in Penang on 24th Oct. 2011

On 24th October 2011, the kickoff seminar in Penang was held and many stakeholders participated.
The seminar was opened by a representative from JICA Malaysia and Dato' Hassan Bin Mat, Director of DOE Penang.


Four speakers made presentations as below.

Mr. Khiruddin Mohd Idris, DOE HQ, explained the framework of the project in Penang.

Mr. Abu Hassan Mid Zain, MPPP, explained the collection system for PCs initiated with DELL, Sunshine and a NGO PEWOG.

Professor Yoshifumi Fujii, Bunkyo University in Japan, explained 1) the EU countries are very active in disseminating the concept of EPR and other environmental concepts under the concept of "Reflexive Modernity". When considering the EPR policy, it is noted that the EPR does not necessarily mean that manufactures have to pay the recycling cost, the payer should be considered so that the total social cost is minimized. He encouraged the stakeholders by adding that he expects any dynamic social change by the project.

Hideki Wada, the Team Leader of the Japanese Expert Team, emphasized that the Japanese e-waste related laws as they are cannot apply to Malaysia, after explaining the e-waste related laws in Japan. The differences of the background conditions between Japan and Malaysia should be considered. They are no more salable in Japan, while they can be sold in Malaysia.

Presentations in the Kickoff Seminar in Penang

You can download the handouts of the presentation in the Kickoff Seminar In Penang here.

Small Recyclers in Penang Island

Yesterday, we visited small recyclers in Penang Island.

It is very convenient for households and individual collectors to bring the e-wastes to those small recyclers, located inside the town.

There, we could see some e-wastes. The e-wastes.are dismantled by the small recyclers and sent to larger dealers located in outside the town.


The structure is discovered gradually.

Refrigerator from a hotel

Another expert came.

Another expert, Ms. Noriko Otsuki, arrived yesterday. She started working with us.

Program of the kickoff Seminar in Penang

As announced, we will have a kickoff seminar in Penang.
You can find the tentative program of it here.