New South Wales is set to introduce Australia’s first mandatory solar panel recycling scheme, aiming to recover critical materials and prevent thousands of tonnes of photovoltaic waste from ending up in landfill.
The state government has launched a public consultation on the recycling scheme, which aims to drive investment and jobs in the solar recycling industry.
Under the proposed regulation, solar panel brand owners will be subject to a mandatory product stewardship scheme.
This model will require manufacturers and importers to take financial and operational responsibility for the end-of-life management of their products, providing dedicated funding for collection, processing, and resource recovery across New South Wales.
The state government has released a draft regulation alongside an issues paper to seek feedback from industry stakeholders, recyclers, local councils, research institutions, and the public.
Beyond waste reduction, the policy is designed to capture high-value raw components, including glass, aluminium, silicon, copper, and silver, that can be redirected into local manufacturing supply chains.
Government forecasts suggest these recovered materials could spur domestic solar panel remanufacturing and create skilled jobs in the emerging circular economy.
Environment and Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe stated that as rooftop solar adoption continues to expand across NSW, establishing sustainable end-of-life processing is essential to ensure discarded panels do not become an environmental burden.
“NSW has embraced rooftop solar, and now we’re making sure those panels don’t become tomorrow’s landfill problem. Solar panels contain valuable materials that can be recovered and put back to work,” Sharpe said.
New South Wales currently leads the nation in residential and commercial renewable adoption, boasting over 1.18 million rooftop solar installations across homes, businesses, and schools.
However, as the earliest generations of solar infrastructure reach the end of their operational lifespan, waste volumes have escalated rapidly.
Around 14,000 tonnes of solar panel waste is generated in NSW each year. This is predicted to increase to 89,000 tonnes by 2045.