The Growing Need For Solar Panel Recycling.
Solar is booming. Clean energy's hot. But here’s the kicker—millions of panels are hitting retirement age. That means a mountain of waste is building fast. We’re not talking scraps—we’re talking tonnes. Dumping them? That’s a waste of resources, space, and common sense. Enter Photovoltaic panel recycling.
Why Recycling Matters
Tossing solar panels in landfill is like tossing money and materials straight into the ground. These things are built with value - aluminium, silicon, copper, glass, silver. Letting that go to waste? We can do better.
Recycling does a few brilliant things:
- Slashes waste.
- Recovers usable materials.
- Cuts the need to dig up more stuff.
Here’s something that’ll stick with you: by 2030, solar panel waste could hit 8 million tonnes. That number jumps to 78 million tonnes by 2050. (Thanks, IRENA.) That’s a lot of landfill we can avoid.
The good news? Most of it can be recycled.
How Telford Smith Is Helping
Let’s be honest - recycling solar panels isn’t a walk in the park. That’s where Telford Smith comes in. We supply FORREC’s solar panel recycling plants right here in Australia. These machines don’t just crunch panels—they sort every valuable bit. Quickly. Cleanly.
Here’s what they recover (see image result):
- Aluminium - Found in frames and supports.
- Glass - The main structural component.
- Silicon - Essential for solar cells.
- Metals - Copper, silver, and other conductors.
- Plastics - Such as Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA).
How fast?
- Up to 4 tons per hour.
- Want more? Upgrade it to 6 tons per hour with optional gear like hydraulic grinders and larger screens.
Here’s the workflow:
- Crushing - Panels are broken into manageable pieces.
- Sorting & Screening - Key materials are separated.
- Shredding - Reduces size for easier processing.
- Magnetic Separation - Pulls out ferrous metals.
- Eddy Current Separation - Extracts non-magnetic metals like aluminium.
- Final Cleaning - Removes any leftover contaminants.
The result? Clean, separated material ready to go back into production. No fluff. No landfill.
A Smarter Solar Future
Solar power is clean. Let’s make its leftovers clean too. Recycling isn’t future tech—it’s here. And it’s working.
Solar adoption is skyrocketing. But sustainable solar panel disposal isn’t just about installing panels - it’s about managing them from start to finish. The future of solar must include recycling. Governments, manufacturers, and recyclers all have a role to play. The goal? A circular economy where nothing goes to waste.
Telford Smith with FORREC is making solar waste smarter.
Let’s Make It Happen
Solar panel waste management doesn’t have to be a problem. With the right recycling systems in place, we can turn old panels into valuable resources.
Telford Smith is the official distributor of FORREC’s high-performance solar panel recycling plant. Contact Us today and let’s build a cleaner future together.
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