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n 2018, one brief moment would change the course of Mohamed El-Fatatry’s life — and potentially the future of Malaysia’s e-waste crisis. As he sat watching a National Geographic feature on the illegal influx of plastic waste into Malaysia, a powerful message flashed across the screen.
“Stop sending your waste to us.” The voice was firm, the frustration unmistakable. It was Malaysia’s former woman minister speaking not just to the world, but to anyone willing to listen.
Most viewers would forget the clip moments later. But for Mohamed, 40, a Finnish entrepreneur with Arab roots and a heart wired for purpose, those words struck like a bolt of lightning. It was not just a statement; it was a summons.
Determined to learn more, he uncovered a troubling paradox. Despite Malaysia having over 50 licensed e-waste recovery facilities and robust infrastructure, the country’s recycling rate remained stubbornly low — hovering around just 30 to 35 per cent. The issue wasn’t one of capacity, but of utilisation.
“I kept wondering, where do people dispose of their old electronics? It turns out, most people simply stash them away in drawers, hand them off to dealers, or worse, toss them out with their household trash,” Mohamed recalled in a recent interview with Bernama.
This realisation led him to dig deeper into Malaysia’s e-waste challenges. He discovered that many Malaysians — whether knowingly or not — contributed to the growing problem by hoarding obsolete electronics, unaware of the environmental risks posed by improper disposal.
What became clear to him was that the problem wasn’t a lack of infrastructure, but a lack of accessibility and public awareness. This gap inspired Mohamed to set up Electronic Recycling Through Heroes (ERTH) in 2019 — a social enterprise designed to make recycling electronics easier, more rewarding, and more widely understood.
ERTH’s innovative approach quickly gained traction. By mobilising a network of freelancers, known as ‘Heroes,’ to collect e-waste directly from households and businesses, ERTH made recycling hassle-free.
In 2023, ERTH’s mission received a significant boost when it secured investment through the Gobi Dana Impak Ventures (GDIV) Fund, managed by Gobi Partners and supported by Khazanah Nasional Berhad under its Dana Impak initiative. This initiative, part of Khazanah’s Future Malaysia Programme, is designed to nurture startups tackling national challenges in sustainability, digital innovation, and social mobility.
FROM TECH WRECK TO GREEN VANGUARD
ERTH’s journey didn’t start with a large grant or cutting-edge technology; it began with a simple, unexpected encounter.
When Mohamed arrived in Malaysia, he met S H Lim, a local phone dealer who had stockpiled more than 4,000 broken mobile phones — mostly old Nokia models and others. Lim, unwilling to send the devices to landfills and distrustful of existing recycling options, had kept them for years, waiting for a better solution.
Today, ERTH stands as one of Malaysia’s fastest-growing green enterprises.
“We didn’t receive any grant from Khazanah initially. Their investment came later, as equity, because our company strongly aligned with Khazanah’s national strategic pillars,” Mohamed recalled.
At the time, Mohamed had taken over a struggling tech services company called Blue Bee Technologies Sdn Bhd, originally founded by Malaysians in 2016.
“I came to Malaysia in 2018 on a tourist visa, because I wasn’t a director yet. After purchasing all the shares and registering as a director, I left the country in December 2018 and returned in January 2019 with a proper director’s work visa,” he shared.
The company, saddled with debts and operating in the mass transit technology sector, needed rescuing. Mohamed was invited to settle its debts and assume control — but instead of continuing in tech services, he saw a bigger opportunity.
After the takeover, he made a bold decision: to pivot the company's focus entirely to the recycling industry.
In 2019, Mohamed officially launched the ERTH brand. While the brand was new, the legal entity behind it — Blue Bee Technologies — had been in existence since 2016, only now carrying a fresh mission: tackling Malaysia’s growing e-waste crisis, one discarded device at a time.
“It was never just about making money. It was about proving to the nation that the system could work — for the environment, for people like Lim, and for building a greener economy,” Mohamed explained.
From that simple encounter, ERTH evolved into a full-fledged reverse logistics platform built on a deceptively simple idea: schedule a pickup, and someone will collect your e-waste from your home or office, free of charge.
Hundreds of active and cheerful ‘e-waste heroes’ now form the backbone of the service. They offer instant DuitNow payments for working items, while non-working electronics — with a minimum of three items — are picked up for recycling.
For businesses, ERTH offers an expanded range of services, including bulk collection, asset disposal, branded collection boxes, and certified data destruction, starting from as low as RM25. Today, major brands like Maxis, DHL, Panasonic, Hong Leong Bank, and even the Selangor state government are among ERTH’s growing list of clients.
“What sets us apart is convenience, transparency, and instant reward. People want to do the right thing — they just don’t want it to be a hassle,” Mohamed said.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN FULL FORCE
ERTH’s mission goes far beyond just collecting discarded electronics. At its Cyberjaya headquarters, the company refurbishes usable items — kettles, irons, laptops, and more — and sells them affordably, particularly to international students and young entrepreneurs. Many of these customers later return to recycle the same items, completing a real-world circular economy loop.
This cycle of reuse and recycling not only helps protect the environment but also supports the community. Mohamed is especially committed to ensuring ERTH’s services reach those who need them most — people on tight budgets, startups, and low-income groups who benefit from affordable, refurbished gadgets.
Many Malaysians still don’t realise that improperly discarded e-waste can leach toxic substances like mercury into the soil and water.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, ERTH’s ingenuity shone through when it repurposed outdated disinfection fogging machines into automatic air fresheners.
“We just couldn’t bear to throw them away,” Mohamed said, reflecting the company’s relentless drive to find creative, sustainable solutions.
Since its inception, ERTH has scaled 65 times and recycled over 2.5 million kilogrammes of e-waste, preventing both toxic chemicals and valuable metals from ending up in landfills.
Its services have expanded across the Klang Valley, Penang, and Johor Bahru. Thanks to a partnership with Pos Malaysia, every post office in the country now serves as an official e-waste drop-off point.
ERTH’s affiliate programme, which empowers individuals to collect e-waste and earn commissions, now boasts more than 200 active recyclers. Some work part-time; others have turned it into a full-time livelihood.
“We’re not just building a recycling network — we’re building livelihoods,” Mohamed said.
Today, ERTH stands as one of Malaysia’s fastest-growing green enterprises — living proof that one moment of clarity, backed by action and support, can rewire an entire system for the better.
CHANGING MINDSET BEFORE HABITS
Despite Malaysia’s recycling infrastructure, awareness remains a significant challenge. Many Malaysians still don’t realise that improperly discarded e-waste can leach toxic substances like lead, cadmium, and mercury into the soil and water. Informal recycling — often involving unsafe stripping and open burning — remains widespread.
“People often think, ‘What if I sell my old phone to a dealer? That’s the right thing to do.’ But what usually happens is that the device gets stripped for metals, and the rest is dumped illegally,” Mohamed explained.
To tackle this issue, ERTH invests over RM1 million annually into public education efforts, including online ads, school programmes, and community outreach campaigns. Mohamed believes that these costs could be significantly reduced if recycling awareness were embedded in school curricula and reinforced through government policies.
“There’s no lack of capacity. What’s missing is a simple behaviour change,” he said.
Mohamed’s efforts have drawn increased attention to the dangers of e-waste and the importance of proper disposal. His ongoing campaigns aim to reshape public perceptions and inspire a more responsible approach to e-waste management.
The circular economy's concept of reusing and recycling not only helps protect the environment but also supports the community.
In line with its data-driven approach to sustainable e-waste management, ERTH has integrated artificial intelligence (AI) across various aspects of its operations. Mohamed explained that AI algorithms are used to analyse historical data and device-specific attributes, enabling automated decisions on whether a device should be reused, repaired, or sent for material recovery.
“We use AI to determine which devices or components should be reused, repaired, or recycled. We leverage data gathered over the years to support this decision-making process,” he noted.
Additionally, AI tools are employed in ERTH’s digital marketing efforts to optimise keyword performance and enhance product metadata, improving visibility and engagement — all while aligning with the company’s broader environmental mission.
FROM CORPORATE GOALS TO COLLECTIVE IMPACT
Mohamed also highlighted how ERTH’s value proposition extends well into the corporate sector. Many companies are actively seeking cost-effective, sustainable solutions to meet their Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) targets — and ERTH is helping them achieve that. One client, for instance, saved over RM200,000 by switching from conventional IT disposal services to ERTH’s eco-friendly solutions.
Equally crucial is data security. ERTH provides clients with Certificates of Disposal and, when needed, Certificates of Data Destruction for hard drives, ensuring full regulatory compliance. This focus on security has made ERTH a trusted partner for companies handling sensitive information.
But Mohamed emphasised that the impact doesn’t stop there. Corporations also collaborate with ERTH on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, encouraging staff to bring e-waste from home or sponsoring school-based sustainability programmes. These efforts not only support recycling but also help instil environmental values in the next generation.
For him, corporate engagement is key to shifting Malaysia’s e-waste culture. ‘If companies lead the way, it sends a message to employees and communities about the importance of sustainability,’” he said.
As landfill space diminishes and the climate crisis grows, ERTH’s mission is to make recycling more accessible, rewarding, and inclusive than ever before. With every device collected, ERTH proves that when conscience and convenience come together, sustainable change is not only possible — it’s already happening.
“Doing the right thing should be easy,” Mohamed remarked. “We believe that if people are given the right tools and incentives, they will act responsibly.” He ended the casual but insightful conversation with the writer that evening, leaving a sense of hope for the future.
