The Malaysian government is once again studying the implementation of an end-of-life vehicle (ELV) management policy by 2025, according to a report by Bernama. This was revealed by Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba at the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the ELV Research Consortium (comprising three universities) and Malaysian Automotive Recyclers Association (MAARA).
The Minister said that the development of the policy is to ensure the components and usable materials of old vehicles are not simply thrown away. “The excess of dilapidated vehicles, which also have resulted in dengue outbreaks, occur because there is yet a policy that decides on the proper action that needs to be taken, with emphasis on the method of proper disposal,” he added.
The consortium, consisting of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), and Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), plans to work more closely with industry players such as MAARA to resolve the issue of ELVs through recycling or upcycling.
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With the MoU, the parties aim to gather data and information about re-manufacturing and recycling, as well as foster cooperation between industrial and consortium members through research and training programmes, with a main goal of developing a re-manufacturing and recycling plan to support the National Automotive Policy 2020.
The minister said that the country is currently looking at Singapore and Japan as yardsticks while drafting the framework, as the two countries have expertise in ELV recycling. He added that 70% of dismantled items fro mELV can be exported to other countries, and has the potential of a RM10 billion industry.
As of May 2022, there were a total of 33 million registered vehicles in Malaysia, with 19 million of them being at least a decade old, according to data from the Transport Ministry.
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This is far from the first time an ELV management policy has been mooted by the government, with the first mention dating as far back as 2009. More recently, the topic has also been brought up as a potential solution to the traffic congestion issue that was becoming increasingly rampant in city centres.
Despite several DOE-recognised authorised automotive treatment facilities (AATF) already existing in our country, the ELV idea still was not received in kind by the general public for obvious reasons.
Transport Minister Dr Wee Ka Siong also recently said that implementing an ELV policy will not be as simple as it sounds, so will this new announcement amount to anything? We’ll just have to wait and see. But for now, let us know your thoughts on an ELV policy for Malaysia, down in the comments section below.
