The plan first began in 2017, passed by the legislature. Now, the Department of Ecology is finding out it's not working.

  Plan to recycle solar panels in WA is a dud, so far

SB (Senate Bill) 5339 in 2017 contained a clause that created a Photovoltaic Module Stewardship and Takeback, or recycling program for solar panels. The bill dealt with tax incentives for solar panels, but also included the recycling.

  However, the compliance deadlines have been pushed back twice, and with another deadline coming up in July, DOE is asking for another extension.

As of July 1, 2025, companies cannot sell solar panels in WA State without having a state-approved stewardship (recycling) plan. Experts now say solar panel companies will simply stop selling them in WA, and many have already stopped.

  Recycling solar panels has not caught on

Three years ago the Havard School of Business released a report indicating even then, used or worn-out solar panels were not being recycled, but going straight into landfills.

The reasons why solar panel recycling has not caught on are many.  Because of the outer construction designed to protect the panel, breaking them down is difficult. Then, the various internal elements have to be separated into what can and cannot be recycled. The glass, aluminum, and silicon cells have to be separated.

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The aluminum can be recycled, but few other components can, recycling experts say the return on investment for solar panels is very low, making recycling usually a cost-loss proposition.

Because they also contain trace elements of lead and cadmium, they're often considered a hazardous waste by most communities, making recycling and even disposal even more expensive. Currently, only about ten percent of panels in the US are recycled and most governments classify them as hazardous waste.

Two years ago, even CA reclassified solar panels as "universal waste" putting them in the same category as glass and lightbulbs, so they can go into landfills.

Until regulations are modified, and widespread affordable methods and tech are implemented to recycle the panels, WA State will see its short-sighted recycling plan continue to struggle. As of today, it is still far cheaper to put them in a landfill than to recycle them.

LOOK: 50 Famous brands that no longer exist

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Gallery Credit: Liz Barrett Foster

 

 

 

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