Who would’ve guessed that saving the world while getting returns in your pocket is actually possible? E-waste recycling provides consumers and aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunities to leverage financial benefits while simultaneously playing a role to protect the environment.
E-waste, unlike any other streams of waste, contains valuable materials that can be harvested for reuse, resale and recycling. The value of e-waste stems from the fact that this waste stream is a rich source of precious metals such as gold, silver and palladium.
These precious metals are critical components to the economics of recycling processes, and this drives the whole e-waste recycling business in developed and developing countries. In Malaysia, the extraction of the metal content in e-waste is carried out by informal, semi-formal and formal industries.
However, supporting e-waste recycling players in the formal industry won’t only guarantee a maximised return for your pocket. You’ll have peace of mind knowing that your end-of-life and unused electronic devices will go through a regulated recycling process that protects the environment. This is where ERTH comes in as a trusted e-waste recycler.
Say Hello To Your E-waste Recycling Heroes!
E-waste Recycling Through Heroes, or ERTH for short, is an SME that specialises in e-waste collection. Founded by expatriates Mr Mohamed El-Fatatry and Mrs Nahed Bedir, they have been in this niche since January 2019. With a dedicated warehouse for e-waste storage in the heart of Cyberjaya, the couple founded ERTH as a social enterprise to encourage a healthy practice of e-waste recycling among Malaysians.
The inception of ERTH was mainly driven by the impracticalities of e-waste recycling in Malaysia. Even though there are a few government-sanctioned e-waste recycling programmes, their logistics for e-waste disposal aren’t consumer-friendly. For instance, one can expect to go the extra mile to dispose of their e-waste. In fact, the collection points for e-waste are usually few and far in between. Furthermore, incentives for partaking in these e-waste recycling could have been made more lucrative.
“The solution to creating not just the motivation, but the excitement to dispose of e-waste in a regulated manner was staring at us in the face! Instead of expecting the consumers to make their first move, we provide pick-up of e-waste from the consumers’ locations. Secondly, if the incentives are better than other public e-waste programmess, we were confident that we can boost the demand for e-waste recycling.”
Mr Mohamed El-Fatatry, founder and managing Hero of ERTH
The First Step Into The Unknown
ERTH’s first step into designing a scheme for the e-waste’s cash reward was anything but well-informed. The couple recounted the early days when they took a stab in the dark and decided to attract the public by offering twice the rate of the rewards of public e-waste recycling programmes. When they sold off their first batch of e-waste to a recovery plant, they were surprised that their return was higher than break even!
However, ERTH’s spirit of social enterprise shone through when they decided to increase the cash reward in exchange for the public’s e-waste, even if the plant maintains its ceiling purchasing price from e-waste collectors. Mr Mohamed justified this decision by commenting that a hefty cash reward will attract more people to recycle their e-waste, even at the expense of ERTH’s profit.
Even though ERTH will update its cash rewards every now and then, one thing is for sure. You have more to gain for yourself and the environment when you recycle with ERTH. ERTH’s cash reward will always remain competitive even against the backdrop of fluctuating global prices of precious metals.
What Kind Of E-waste Can You Recycle With ERTH?
Definitions of e-waste vary from reference to reference. However, Mrs Nahed has a practical tip as to what kind of electronic devices you can send to ERTH:
“As long as your device runs on electricity or batteries, we’ll take it, and you’ll get paid.”
Mrs Nahed bedir, co-founder of ERTH
If you just take a look around your house and even a peek inside your drawers, it’s hard to miss potential e-waste in your household. Here’s an interesting fact – on average, each Malaysian produces 10kg worth of e-waste in their household every year!
However, this fact is hardly surprising since the lifespan of today’s electronic devices is becoming shorter. Smartphones and laptops, which have become commonplace in today’s society, are also becoming more affordable. We’ll inevitably end up with more e-waste in our hands than we intended to. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to recycle them instead of discarding them in the regular waste stream.
How To Recycle Your E-waste With ERTH?
True to their mission to make e-waste recycling more accessible to everyone, ERTH offers pick-up service and ERTH e-waste collection boxes in Klang Valley.
Pick-up Of E-waste From Your Location
ERTH has partnered with on-the-road delivery freelancers to pick-up your e-waste and send it directly to ERTH’s warehouse in Cyberjaya. If you have handheld electronics or any items that can fit in a car, you can book an appointment with ERTH’s Heroes (which is a callsign for their delivery freelancers) to carry out such service.
After the Hero has validated your e-waste with ERTH, you will receive your cash reward on the same day! To enjoy this free pick-up service, the value of your e-waste has to be at a minimum of MYR10.
For bulky electronics or electrical appliances such as servers or refrigerators, you can still request a pick-up with a Hero. You’ll just need to pay MYR25/item for the removal of such bulky items from your household. However, a cash reward is not available for bulky e-waste, at least for the time being.
Drop-off Of E-waste At ERTH’s Collection Box
Before you deposit your e-waste in an ERTH’s collection box, you’ll need to take a picture of your e-waste. You can send the picture through WhatsApp or SMS to ERTH’s hotline at +6014-2211 446. Once you have deposited your e-waste in the box, the cash reward will be transferred to you on the same day.
How Can I Get Paid For My Efforts In E-waste Recycling With ERTH?
You can request ERTH to transfer your cash reward through the following channels:
1. Bank transfer
2. Boost
3. GrabPay
4. BigPay
5. Hello Gold
6. Touch n’ Go eWallet
Data Destruction And A Final Hack To Receive A Greater Cash Reward
ERTH understands the importance of data destruction in electronic devices as it is one of the concerns that impede e-waste recycling habit. However, you’ll have peace of mind when you recycle your e-waste with ERTH as Mr Mohamed has partnered with a company that specialises in IT asset management. Any devices that carry sensitive data in ERTH’s e-waste collection will be sent to their partner to be reformatted and destroyed through drilling and shredding.
Finally, here’s one last important tip from Mr Mohamed if you want to have a more significant return on your e-waste without the hassle of collecting more of them:
“As soon as your device stops working or you don’t have use of it anymore, send it to us ASAP. The longer the device collects dust, the value of the device as e-waste will depreciate even further. You have to be proactive about recycling your e-waste with us to enjoy greater cash reward.”
Mr Mohamed El-Fatatry
So what are you waiting for? Time to dig up electronic relics from your drawers and storeroom to exchange them for cash with ERTH! For more information on ERTH, you can visit their website or Facebook page.
