<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/recycle-and-reuse-mandatory-new-rules-to-stop-millions-of-solar-pv-panels-going-into-landfill/>
"Federal and state governments have agreed to work on a new mandatory recycling
scheme for solar modules, to ensure that millions of discarded solar PV panels
do not end up in landfill.
The Smart Energy Council estimates that four million solar panels are removed
from Australian rooftops each year, and less than five per cent are recycled –
even though they can be. (
Renew Economy questioned that number as it seems
high, but we were told it is about right).
Without intervention, experts say, the amount of solar waste is expected to
nearly double in the next five years to 91,165 tonnes in 2030, from 59,340
tonnes in 2025.
One of the ironies of the success of the federal battery rebate scheme is that
many households are using the opportunity to upgrade their solar systems, and
in many cases that means replacing them with bigger and more modern systems.
At Friday’s meeting of the Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council in
Sydney, state and federal ministers endorsed a paper presented by the NSW state
government that advocates a national mandated scheme, to ensure solar panels
are recycled or remanufactured.
NSW says it is already working on mandated stewardship for batteries, and it
will also work on a Regulatory Impact Statement that will help government
evaluate options for a national mandatory product stewardship scheme.
“We are proud to be leading the charge to create a unified approach to solar
panel waste management and recycling,” NSW minister for energy and environment
said in a statement.
“This work builds on the momentum of our nation-leading reform on batteries,
and the new legislation already in place in NSW to enable a mandatory product
stewardship scheme – suppliers take responsibility for the safe design,
recycling and disposal of their products.”
The surge in solar waste is expected to be highest in metropolitan cities, with
volumes starting to grow in regional areas from large scale solar facilities
after 2030."
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
