New South Wales plans to introduce Australia's first mandatory solar panel recycling scheme to ensure the materials are recovered rather than sent to landfill. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Delays at the national level
The state launched consultation on the design of the stewardship scheme on Monday amid prolonged delays at the national level.
Around 14,000 tonnes of solar panel waste was generated in NSW each year, which was expected to grow to 89,000 tonnes by 2045.
Manufacturer responsibility
The proposed scheme would require solar panel manufacturers to take responsibility for the end-of-life management of their products, helping fund collection, recycling and resource recovery.
Penny Sharpe's statement
NSW environment minister Penny Sharpe said:
«"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."»
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Industry reaction
Gayle Sloan, the chief executive of the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia:
«"NSW is getting on with the job."»
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The state was implementing mandatory battery stewardship and intended to finalise solar panel regulation by the end of 2026.
«"The solar model can then be adopted by other jurisdictions or transition to a future Commonwealth scheme. That is tangible reform: establish the rules, set a deadline and create a pathway for national action."»
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Read more on the delayed implementation of a national scheme here.