A solar panel recycling scheme would help reduce waste, but please repair and reuse first

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:01:35 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/a-solar-panel-recycling-scheme-would-help-reduce-waste-but-please-repair-and-reuse-first-258806>

"Australia’s rooftop solar industry has renewed calls for a mandatory recycling
scheme to deal with the growing problem of solar panel waste. Only about 10% of
panels are currently recycled. The rest are stockpiled, sent overseas or dumped
in landfill.

One in three Australian homes now have rooftop solar panels, and new systems
are being installed at the rate of 300,000 a year. Meanwhile, older systems are
being scrapped – often well before the end of their useful life.

This has made solar panels Australia’s fastest-growing electronic waste stream.
Yet federal government plans for a national scheme to manage this waste appear
to have stalled.

Clearly, solar panel waste is a major problem for Australia. Recycling is one
part of the solution. But Australia also needs new rules so solar panels can be
repaired and reused."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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