Solar panels are an essential renewable technology to address the climate crisis; as a result, the industry is booming. But mining for the precious metals and rare earth elements needed to make these products is environmentally destructive – as is disposing of decommissioned solar panels in landfills, where they can contaminate soil and groundwater with toxic chemicals like cadmium and lead.
Globally, an estimated 86 million tons of photovoltaic waste from solar panels will be generated by 2050 – representing $15 billion worth of precious metals, rare earth elements, aluminum, and glass that could be recycled.
How can we recycle more solar panels to protect people and the environment? Extended producer responsibility. EPR programs for solar panels ensure that they do not pollute the environment and that new solar panels are made from as much recycled content as possible. Washington state passed the first state solar panels EPR law in 2017. In 2021, PSI helped develop the solar panels EPR law enacted by Niagara County, New York – the first such local law in the country.
EPR programs like these incentivize the design of more sustainable products and build supply chains for those made with recycled materials, which are the building blocks of an emerging circular economy that protects our environment and builds a better future.
What can you do? If your state has not yet enacted a law, tell your representatives that you support solar panel EPR legislation (or thank them if they already have). Then, learn where to recycle or safely dispose of solar panels in your community.
If you’re a PSI Member or Partner, search our Resource Library for in-depth information on solar panel stewardship in the United States and around the world and our Legislation Library for a detailed history of solar panel EPR bills and laws in the U.S.