Interview at Malaysia’s E-Waste Collector “ERTH” 
On April 30, 2025, EnviX visited the office of Electronic Recycling Through Heroes (ERTH) located in Selangor, Malaysia, to conduct an interview with its founder, Mr. Mohamed Tarek. The interview focused on ERTH’s business model and Malaysia’s e-waste regulations.
About ERTH
Founded in 2018, ERTH identified a major gap in Malaysia’s e-waste industry: while there were approx. 60 e-waste recycling companies, only a few specialized in collection services. ERTH then launched a B2C and B2B collection operation and became Malaysia’s first officially recognized e-waste collection service provider that does not engage in recycling operations.
ERTH provides on-site collection for both consumers and businesses, offering compensation for collected items. Accepted products include smartphones, laptops, TVs, data servers and cables, with purchase prices ranging from RM2 to RM350 based on item and its condition. ERTH then resells the collected e-waste to recyclers or refurbishers, earning profits from the price difference between the first acquisition and resale. The on-site collections are done by freelancers, who individually chooses to respond to each collection requests.
ERTH has also recently partnered with Panasonic to launch an e-waste recycling campaign:
Panasonic Malaysia Launches e-Waste Recycling Campaign with ERTH; Rewards Consumers for Responsible Recycling
Q&A Session
(Q: EnviX, A: ERTH)
Q: Why did ERTH choose Malaysia for its e-waste collection business?
A: Initially, we studied various Southeast Asian countries. Singapore already had a well-developed recycling system, whereas Indonesia had very few recyclers while having logistical challenges due to its archipelagic geography. In Malaysia, there were many recyclers but had low e-waste recycling percentage, largely due to insufficient collection efforts, which led us to launch our business here.
Q: What prompted the idea of door-to-door collection?
A: In the past, we hosted an event at a shopping mall, offering to collect smartphones for RM2 per device. However, few people brought their devices, and some said they would prefer collection at their doorstep. Consumers often store old electronics at home but find it inconvenient to dispose of them properly. By bridging this gap, consumers get to clear out their house and is able to get compensated for it, while recyclers gain a stable supply of e-waste feedstock from us. We started with mainly B2C collections, but B2B operations now account for a larger share of our business.
Q: How can ERTH sustain solely from the price difference between collection and resale?
A: In our first year, total purchase costs were RM50,000, while resale revenue amounted to RM75,000. After considering operational expenses, profits were basically negligible. We then shifted focus to refurbishable electronics, selling them to repair businesses for higher returns, significantly improving profit margins.
Additionally, since most e-waste collectors in Malaysia also engages in recycling activity, they have to own a recycling facility which incurs high overhead costs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many recyclers struggled due to facility expenses and staff salaries, whereas ERTH, which owns just a relatively small warehouse, only had to bear minimum cost.
Q: How does ERTH differentiate itself from competitors?
A: Many similar collection services have emerged following our success, so in order to stay competitive, we have to allocate almost RM60,000 per month on advertising. Rising competition has driven ad costs up tenfold in recent years.
Q: Malaysia currently lacks a dedicated regulation on e-waste. What are your thoughts?
A: Regulation is necessary. Currently, e-waste collection is still part of the general waste management, which is funded by the government. However, a legislation on e-waste has been under discussion for over a decade, and we have heard that a bill was recently submitted to the Cabinet.
Q: Do you have any insights into the proposed bill?
A: From what I know, it is expected to introduce an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, requiring manufacturers to finance or manage e-waste collection. The funds collected from manufacturers would then be given as an incentive to collection and recycling facilities.
ERTH warehouse entrance (credit: EnviX)
ERTH website:
https://erth.app/
