[banner photo by Raze Solar on Unsplash]
More than 1 in 3 Australian households embrace rooftop solar, and many homes are up-sizing their old home solar system as they commit to buying a home battery thanks to the Cheaper Home Battery rebate. So many homeowners are starting to ask an important question: what happens to our solar panels at the end of their life?
The good news is that the Federal Government has announced it will invest $24.7 million over three years to deliver a national pilot for recycling solar panels and establish up to 100 pilot collection sites nationwide. [1]
And that the Productivity Commission recommends in its report (released on Friday 16 January) that “the government progress a national product stewardship scheme for small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and investigate a similar scheme for EV batteries.” [2]
Solar panels are far from waste. Around 95 per cent of a standard solar panel can be recycled, including the aluminium frame, glass, silicon and valuable metals such as silver and copper. [3]
The new Solar Panel Recycling Pilot is sorely needed. In Australia only 17% per cent of the roughly 4 million individual solar panels decommissioned each year are currently recycled. [4]
Australia is facing a looming solar panel waste challenge. Solar panel waste is predicted to jump from 59,340 tonnes in 2025 to more than 91,000 tonnes by 2030. [5]
Without urgent action, thousands of tonnes of valuable materials could end up stockpiled or dumped in landfill.
“Solar Citizens welcomes the Federal Government’s new national pilot as an essential step in developing a mandatory national scheme to recover all solar panels and ensure their valuable materials like copper and silver are captured or reprocessed, saving precious resources, and creating more jobs in Australia.”
— CEO Heidi Lee Douglas.
A solution is finally on the way
Today’s announcement paves the way for the introduction of a national solar panel recycling scheme - recommended by the Productivity Commission.
Last August Solar Citizens joined more than 60 organisations in signing the Smart Energy Council’s Joint Statement for mandatory product stewardship for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. [6]
We join the Smart Energy Council in welcoming the pilot scheme as progress on the way to establishing a full national whole-of-life solar recycling or ‘stewardship’ scheme.
“Implementing a national stewardship scheme, which we hope and expect will follow the pilot, will trigger an urban-mining boom, and a new wave of smart energy investment in jobs and growth.”
— Smart Energy Council CEO John Grimes.[7]
Announcing the pilot program the Treasurer and Ministers for Energy and Environment stated, “The program we’re piloting is all about building a sustainable and effective national solution to recycling end-of-life solar panels into the future…The Government will consider the findings of the Productivity Commission inquiry, and work with states and territories to improve sustainable solutions.” [8]
According to the Smart Energy Council, the pilot project will test various transport options and engage with recyclers to identify and solve practical challenges, ensuring a future scheme is economical, effective, and sustainable.
It will gather vital national data on recycling costs across different regions, specifically addressing the high cost of logistics.
Building on successful Queensland pilots, this pilot is the essential next step in protecting our recycling industry from stagnation and ensuring that the 95% of precious resources contained in solar modules—like copper, silver, and aluminium—are recovered rather than sent to landfill.
Recycling solar panels is good for jobs and the climate
Recovering valuable materials such as glass, aluminium, silicon and metals from old solar panels reduces the need for new mining — cutting greenhouse gas emissions and environmental damage.
A national whole-of-life solar panel recycling scheme would also create secure, local jobs in recycling, remanufacturing and resource recovery.
“Remanufacturing and recycling panels here means more onshore work in the renewable energy supply chain instead of shipping valuable materials offshore or losing them as waste.”
— Brad Pidgeon, Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union NSW/ACT State Secretary
With the rapid uptake of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program — with 200,000 installations between July and December 2025— many households are upgrading or replacing solar panels earlier than expected to install larger systems or battery-compatible setups. [9] This makes getting recycling right even more urgent.
NOTES
1] Labor pilots national solar recycling program, Media Release, Chalmers, Bowen, Watt, 16/1/26
2] Australia’s Circular Economy, unlocking the opportunities, Productivity Commission 16/01/2026
3] Clean Energy Council Factsheet, August 2025
4] & 5] Governments finally act to stop millions of solar panels going to landfill, Renew Economy 17/8/25
6] Joint Statement on Mandatory product stewardship for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, Smart Energy Council, August 2025
7] The announcement of a national solar panel recycling pilot, Smart Energy Council media release 16/1/2026
8] Labor pilots national solar recycling program, Media Release, Chalmers, Bowen, Watt, 16/1/26 NSW leads the way towards national solar panel reuse and recycling scheme, NSW government media release, 18/8/2025
9] 200,000 bill-busting batteries installed in just 6 months, Media Release, Chris Bowen 17/1/26
10] Solar Panel Recycling in Australia: A Guide for Homeowners and Installers, Penny Bartholemew, Solar Choice, July 2025
Practical steps when removing your old solar system
If you’re upgrading or removing your solar panels, here’s how to make sure they’re handled responsibly:
1. Confirm the panels are truly non-functional
Engage a CEC-approved installer to assess your system. Many panels can continue operating for 25 years or more.
2. Have them removed properly
If replacement is necessary, ensure your installer removes panels carefully to avoid breakage and contamination. Undamaged panels are far easier to recycle, allowing recovery of high-purity glass and valuable metals like silver.
3. Request responsible recycling
Ask your installer to take panels to a specialist solar panel recycling facility, see the lists below to find a solar panel recycling service near you.
4. Get a Recycling Certificate
A recycling certificate provides confidence that your panels were handled responsibly and supports compliance with emerging environmental regulations. [10]
Find a PV recycler near you
You may also be able to sell your old PV system to an Australian-based recycler. Platforms like Octowaste help connect households with certified recycling companies in their local area. [8]
Recycling rules vary between states and territories. In several jurisdictions, solar panels are now classified as e-waste and banned from landfill, requiring installers to ensure proper collection and processing. While Australia’s recycling capacity is still scaling up, specialist facilities can already recover up to 90 per cent of a panel’s materials.
Your local council may also offer solar panel recycling services.
NSW
The NSW EPA is in partnership with PV Industries and opened a new solar panel recycling facility near Bankstown airport in October this year.
Several councils accept used solar panels:
Blue Mountains City Council: Residents can drop off panels at Blaxland & Katoomba facilities (small fee applies for undamaged/damaged panels).
City of Newcastle: Accepts PV systems at Summerhill Waste Management Centre (fees apply, inverters free). Read more by PV Industries
Dubbo Regional Council has trial collections and has joined the Circular PV Alliance
Hunter Region (Maitland, Singleton, Dungog): Trialling collections via Resource Recovery Centres.
Mosman: Subsidised program through PV Industries for residents (email [email protected] for current collection details).
Port Macquarie-Hastings: free trials at MidWaste facilities in Bellingen, Kempsey, Nambucca, Port Macquarie sites.
Queensland
In September 2024 the Queensland government launched a solar panel recycling, reuse and recovery pilot, in partnership with the Smart Energy Council. Six solar panel recovery sites were operational: Greater Brisbane - Capalaba and North Lakes; Gold Coast, Rockhampton, Toowoomba and Townsville.
Banana Shire Council (south of Rockhampton) has joined the Circular PV Alliance
South Australia
Solar Recycling services available through providers: Solarec (claim to be Australia’s first dedicated photovoltaic (PV) Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and PV Industries
Victoria - bans solar PV from landfill and has a directory of council's waste and recycling information.
Australian solar panel recycling companies
Some of these can come and collect used panels, depending upon location:
- Sircel
- Ecoactive - Sydney, Adelaide, Victoria
- Elecsome
- Environmental Solar Recycling Australia (ESRA) NSW
- Pan Pacific Recycling
- PV Industries - operate in ACT, NSW, SA, Victoria
- Solarec - SA
- Smart Energy Council - Solar Recycler directory
- Circular PV Alliance members
Further reading:
- Energy Matters - 8 Ways to Dispose of Unwanted Solar Panels, March 2024
- Replace & Recycle your solar system - energy.gov.au
- Australian Government Productivity Commission - Australia’s circular economy: Unlocking the opportunities Interim report, March 2025