The Federal, state and territory governments are moving towards a national product stewardship scheme for solar panels, ensuring panels are managed adequately from installation to end of life.
On Friday, 15 August 2025, the New South Wales Government tabled a paper at the Council of Ministers in Sydney, calling for a mandated national scheme to stop solar panels ending up in landfill. Instead, the proposal would see panels directed to remanufacturing or recycling. NSW is already developing a mandatory stewardship program for batteries.
Government figures show solar panel waste in Australia is forecast to almost double within five years, rising from 59,340 tonnes in 2025 to 91,165 tonnes in 2030. Most of the growth will come from household systems in metropolitan areas, with larger volumes expected in regional areas from utility-scale solar farms after 2030.
Energy ministers acknowledged growing pressure for better end-of-life management of solar panels, including those from large-scale projects. Currently, many panels are discarded before the end of their useful life, with most ending up in landfill, stockpiled or exported.
More than 95 per cent of a solar panel can be reused, with functional materials including aluminium, glass, copper, silver, and silicon. The Smart Energy Council says about one-third of panels could be reused, potentially contributing 24GW of energy by 2040 – enough to power six million homes annually.
Ministers agreed that NSW would lead initial work with other jurisdictions to prepare a regulatory impact statement. This will help governments assess options for a national mandatory product stewardship scheme, designed to kick-start a recycling and reuse industry for solar panels and batteries.
The Federal Government is also backing low-cost recycling technology projects through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), to test the feasibility and affordability of new approaches.
NSW Energy and Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the state was proud to take the lead.
“This builds on the momentum of our nation-leading reforms on batteries and the legislation already in place in NSW to enable mandatory product stewardship. It ensures suppliers take responsibility for the safe design, recycling and disposal of their products,” she said.
John Grimes, CEO of the Smart Energy Council, said around four million panels are being removed from rooftops every year, with less than five per cent currently recycled.
“The time for talk has passed. A national solar stewardship pilot is the immediate first step to support the industry and guide the regulatory impact statement,” he said.
“We welcome this renewed focus from governments on solar PV stewardship and particularly acknowledge NSW for leading the charge.”
Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union NSW/ACT secretary Brad Pidgeon said the scheme would also be a major win for local jobs.
“Recycling and remanufacturing panels here means more onshore work in the renewable energy supply chain, rather than shipping valuable materials overseas or dumping them as waste,” he said.