We encourage best practice approaches and outcomes for PV products and materials at the end of their lifecycle and are committed to:
- Victoria’s circular economy plan, Recycling Victoria: A new economy
- finding ways to cut solar product waste and boost recycling and reuse of our precious resources.
The Victorian Government is tackling solar PV waste through strict landfill bans, mandatory recycling requirements, Environment Protection Authority (EPA) oversight, an emerging recycling sector, and funding programs like the Breakthrough Victoria Challenge aimed at accelerating innovation in PV recycling.
The Federal Government has committed to piloting a national solar panel program to reduce landfill, increase availability of valuable minerals and help drive Australia’s transformation to a cleaner and cheaper economy.
What is e-waste?
E-waste is any item with a plug, battery or power cord that is no longer working or wanted. This includes household appliances like televisions and lighting, and includes solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, inverters and energy storage equipment at the end of their useful life.
These items are all identified by the EPA as specified e-waste which poses a greater environmental and human health risk than other types of e-waste.
E-waste contains both valuable and hazardous materials that can be safely disposed of or recovered for reuse.
Ban on e-waste entering landfill
All retailers and installers must comply with the Victorian Government’s Waste Management Policy (e-waste), which prohibits any form of e-waste from entering landfill. This is also a mandatory requirement in the Solar Victoria Notice to Market for Solar Homes Program retailers.
The e-waste policy ban is designed to eliminate environmental and human health risks while maximising resource recovery. Retailers and installers must take all reasonable steps to responsibly manage end-of-life solar products.
Your e-waste obligations
To comply with the ban on e-waste to landfill, retailers must ensure decommissioned equipment is removed from customers’ homes. The Notice to Market also recommends retailers offer end-of-life management certified to AS 5377 – Management of electrical and electronic equipment for re-use or recycling.
Solar panels must be taken to a lawful e-waste collection point or solar PV recycler.
They must only be recycled at facilities with Environment Protection Authority (EPA) authorisation to sort, store or recover specified e-waste.
Installers with solar panels removed from a residential or commercial building or facility must ensure the waste is taken to a place authorised to receive that type of waste. Failure to do so is an indictable offence and carries substantial penalties under Victorian law.
Installers should also familiarise themselves with EPA requirements for storing and transporting e-waste before it is sent for recycling. Guidance on priority waste classifications, transport permissions and compliance obligations is available on the EPA website.
How to responsibly manage solar PV e-waste
Specialist solar PV recyclers can recover up to 90% of a solar panel for reuse.
In Victoria there are several reputable recyclers who reprocess solar PV panels. Installers can ccontact these facilities below or their local government authority for the nearest collection point:
- Elecsome, Keysborough, Victoria
- Kilmany Resource Recovery Centre, Kilmany, Victoria
- Lotus Recycling, Thomastown, Victoria
- Sircel, Dandenong South, Victoria
Acts, regulations and guidelines
Some of the acts, regulations, standards and guidelines that apply to the safe handling, storing, transferring, transporting and recycling of e-waste are listed below:
Restrictions on the exportation of solar PV
There are restrictions and laws governing the export of unusable solar PV panels. Installers should think carefully about selling second-hand panels for export, as exporting panels that are non-compliant, unsafe or considered e-waste may be illegal.
An exporter of hazardous solar PV needs a permit under the Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989 (Hazardous Waste Act) to export panels for recycling or disposal.
For more information, see the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water website.
Useful resources
The EPA provides many useful resources to help guide you on the responsible management of e-waste. These include:
- About e-waste: Learn more about what e-waste is, and find the policies and guidelines for safely managing e-waste here.
- Storing e-waste: Find out what you need to do to safely store and transport e-waste here.
- Re-processing e-waste: Find out what you need to do to safely reprocess e-waste here.
- Controlling e-waste hazards and risks: Assess and control risk to help ensure that your storage, transport and/or reprocessing of e-waste prevents harm to human health and the environment here.
Solar industry guidance
Use this guidance to help keep workers and customers safe and put industry leading standards into practice.
Notice to Market 2023-24
The Notice to Market sets out the mandatory requirements and recommendations for retailers and installers to participate in the Solar Homes and Solar for Business Programs.
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