How Malaysian Companies Should Dispose of Old Laptops and E-Waste

Company E-Waste Is Scheduled Waste

In Malaysia, waste from electrical and electronic equipment is classed as scheduled waste SW110 under the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005. For businesses, that means old laptops, desktops, monitors, batteries and similar equipment should go to a contractor or facility licensed by the Department of Environment (DOE) — not to a general scrap buyer or the bin.

Companies that generate scheduled waste are expected to report and manage it through the DOE's eSWIS system. Check your own obligations with the DOE or your environmental consultant; the details depend on your premises and volumes.

The Data Comes First

The environmental rules cover the hardware. The bigger risk for most companies is what is still stored on it: customer records, staff files, saved passwords and email. Under the PDPA, that personal data remains your responsibility until it is properly erased — and a laptop sold on with its drive intact can become a notifiable data breach.

So the order is always: data first, then disposal.

Step-by-Step: Retiring Company Laptops

1. Collect and count. Match every retiring device against your asset register by serial number.
2. Decide what each device is worth. Newer machines may be redeployed, sold or traded in; old ones go to recycling.
3. Back up anything needed before wiping.
4. Remove it from your systems. Sign out and remove the device from Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace, device management and any security software.
5. Erase or destroy the storage. Use a proper erasure method for the drive type, or physically destroy drives that cannot be erased.
6. Record it. For each device: serial number, erasure method, date, and who did it. Ask for a certificate or report of erasure.
7. Hand over to a licensed contractor for recycling, and keep their documentation.
8. Update the asset register to "retired" with the disposal record.

Questions to Ask a Disposal Provider

• Are you DOE-licensed for SW110, or who is your licensed downstream facility?
• How is data erased, and what evidence do we receive per device?
• Is erasure done onsite or after collection? Who has custody during transport?
• Do you pay for, or credit, devices with resale value?

Where TechFix Helps

We assess your retiring devices, handle secure data erasure with per-device evidence, and plan the disposition — redeploy, resale or recycling — before anything leaves your office. See IT Asset Disposal and Corporate Device Buyback.