Australia scrambles to recycle as 1-million-tonne solar waste threat looms by 2035

The recycling pilot targets 50 million end-of-life panels.

Australia is expected to generate around one million tonnes of solar panel waste by 2035, equivalent to roughly 50 million individual panels, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said in a press release.

The government will start a national solar panel recycling pilot to inform a long-term plan for managing end-of-life renewable energy infrastructure. The pilot is intended to reduce landfill and recover valuable materials.

More than 95% of a solar panel and more than 90% of a wind turbine are recyclable, according to the department. Materials including copper, silver and aluminium can be recovered from decommissioned equipment.

The department said end-of-life renewable energy infrastructure presents a growing challenge, particularly composite components such as wind turbine rotor blades.