Solar panel and battery recycling in Australia: what actually happens? Short version — don't landfill them.
Most people assume old panels and batteries just get “recycled” somewhere. The honest 2026 reality is messier: Australia’s recycling network is still maturing, Victoria bans solar panels from landfill outright, recycling costs real money per panel, and the national scheme everyone talks about is still a government pilot, not law. Here’s what genuinely happens to your gear at end of life — and how to do it right without being sold a story.
Reviewed by the Mission Green Energy Team · Updated July 2026
What actually happens to old
panels and batteries?
The one-line answer: don’t landfill them. Beyond that, the honest picture is a system that’s still being built — which is exactly why you need to know the rules.
“It gets recycled” is what most people picture, and it’s only half true. In 2026, Australia’s solar and battery recycling network is real but still maturing: some states have strict rules, others don’t, recycling costs more than dumping, and the national scheme you may have read about is a government-funded pilot, not a mandatory law. So there’s no single clean answer — it genuinely depends on where you live and what you’ve got.
What is clear everywhere: the bin is the wrong destination. Panels are roughly 95% recyclable material according to the Clean Energy Council, and lithium batteries are both recoverable and a serious fire risk if crushed in a truck or tip. Landfilling wastes the first and endangers the second. The right order is simple: reuse or resell working gear, then send it to an accredited recycler, then use installer or retailer take-back where it’s offered.
What's inside — and why
the bin is the wrong answer.
Panels and batteries aren’t inert junk. One is mostly valuable, recoverable material; the other is a fire hazard if it’s damaged. Both are reasons not to dump them.
~95% recyclable material
The Clean Energy Council states a photovoltaic panel is about 95% recyclable materials — aluminium, glass, silicon, silver, copper, indium and germanium. The aluminium frame and the junction box are the most commonly recovered parts. Sending that to landfill throws away useful material for no good reason.
Potentially 100% recoverable
The Clean Energy Council states that if properly recycled, potentially 100% of battery components can be recovered for reuse or turned into new batteries. But that only happens through proper recycling channels — never general waste or kerbside bins.
Lithium + a rubbish truck
A lithium battery that’s crushed or damaged can enter thermal runaway — a self-heating fire that’s hard to put out. Batteries in bins have caused thousands of waste-truck and facility fires across Australia. That’s the sharp end of “just bin it.”
So the material story cuts both ways. Panels are mostly worth recovering; batteries are dangerous to mishandle. Neither belongs in landfill or a household bin. And because a home battery is a large, wired-in, hazardous unit, its removal is a job for a professional — not something you unbolt and drop at the tip yourself. If you’re replacing or retrofitting, our guide on whether to retrofit a battery to old solar or replace the lot covers what comes out and when.
Victoria bans panels from
landfill. Other states differ.
This is the part most people don’t know: in Victoria it’s not just wasteful to landfill your panels — it’s against the rules. Elsewhere the rules are looser, but the bin is still the wrong call.
Since 1 July 2019, Victoria has banned all e-waste from landfill — and Solar Victoria confirms that ban explicitly covers solar PV panels, inverters and energy-storage equipment at end of life. In Victoria they cannot go in any bin or to landfill. Decommissioned panels must be taken to a lawful e-waste collection point or a solar PV recycler, and may only be recycled at facilities with EPA authorisation. Retailers and installers there must comply with the state’s e-waste Waste Management Policy.
Other states don’t all have an identical statewide PV landfill ban. Instead they rely on general e-waste and recycling pathways — council e-waste days, transfer stations, drop-off points and product take-back. So the “is it actually illegal to bin?” answer varies by state, but the “should you bin it?” answer is no everywhere. Check your own council or state EPA for the local rule before you move anything.
Where to actually recycle
panels and batteries.
The good news: real, accredited pathways exist today. The trick is using them rather than the tip or the kerbside bin.
Accredited e-waste / PV recyclers
Take panels to a lawful e-waste collection point or a dedicated solar PV recycler — in Victoria, one with EPA authorisation. Planet Ark’s RecyclingNearYou and your council’s e-waste service are good starting points for finding one near you.
Retailer & installer take-back
Many installers will remove and responsibly dispose of old panels as part of an upgrade job — but it’s not automatic. Ask, in writing, what happens to the gear they take off your roof, and whether recycling is included in the quote.
B-cycle drop-off, never the bin
Loose batteries and small cells go to accredited B-cycle collection points — not kerbside recycling or general waste. A wired-in home battery is different: it needs professional removal by a qualified installer, who handles the hazardous disposal.
Recycling isn't free
— so who pays?
Here’s the honest bit the feel-good messaging skips: recycling a panel costs more than dumping one. That gap is the whole reason a national scheme is being pursued.
Recycling a solar panel costs money, and it’s more expensive than landfilling it — that’s precisely why a product-stewardship scheme is on the table. Reported per-panel recycling figures vary widely depending on the recycler, the volume and your location, and they’re typically several times the cost of just tipping a panel. We won’t quote you a single exact price, because any one number would be misleading — confirm the actual fee with the recycler or installer at the time.
In practice, the cost usually lands with whoever is doing the removal: you, if you’re disposing of gear yourself, or folded into an installer’s job if they take it away. It’s worth asking up front so it’s not a surprise line item — and worth remembering that the cheaper-looking “just landfill it” option is banned in Victoria and wasteful everywhere.
The national scheme is a
pilot — not law yet.
You may have read that Australia is “bringing in” solar recycling rules. True in spirit, but be precise: as of 2026 it’s a funded pilot and consultation, not a mandatory national scheme.
As of 2026 there is no mandatory national product-stewardship scheme for solar panels or batteries in force. What exists is a National Solar Panel Recycling Pilot — around A$24.7 million in federal funding to collect up to 250,000 panels from roughly 100 sites from 2026, designed to test the logistics and economics and inform a possible future scheme. It’s a step toward a mandatory national approach, not the arrival of one.
Why does the distinction matter to you? Because “a national recycling scheme is coming” can be used as a soft-sell reason to act now or to assume disposal is someone else’s problem. It isn’t settled yet. For today, the rules that actually bind you are your state’s (like Victoria’s landfill ban) and the accredited recycling and B-cycle pathways that already exist — not a national scheme that’s still being trialled.
Reuse and resell before you
recycle — and mind the fire risk.
A lot of panels are pulled off roofs long before they’re actually dead. The greenest and cheapest option is often to keep them working — and to treat any battery removal as a safety job.
Many panels are removed and replaced well before the end of their roughly 30-year design life — during a roof job, a system upgrade, or a home renovation. A working panel that still generates is worth reusing or reselling before it’s recycled: it keeps usable gear in service and avoids a recycling cost entirely. Just be aware there’s currently no national program certifying or regulating the resale of second-hand panels, so buyer and seller are both relying on condition and good faith — get them tested and installed by a qualified professional.
Batteries are the opposite story: there’s no casual reuse here. A home battery at end of life is a hazardous, wired-in unit that needs professional removal and accredited disposal, and loose cells go to B-cycle drop-off — never the bin, because of the thermal-runaway fire risk. If you’re buying a home that already has solar or a battery, it’s worth checking the age and condition of that gear before you inherit its end-of-life bill: our guide on what to check when buying a house with solar walks through it.
So what should you
actually do with old gear?
Here’s the call we’d give a friend, in order — because “recycle it” is the right instinct but the wrong level of detail.
If your panels still work, reuse or resell them before recycling — get them tested and installed by a professional, since there’s no national certification for used panels. If they’re genuinely dead, take them to an accredited e-waste or PV recycler, not the tip — and if you’re in Victoria, remember landfill isn’t even a legal option. If an installer is removing them during an upgrade, ask in writing what happens to the old gear and whether recycling is in the quote. For any battery, loose cells go to a B-cycle drop-off and a home battery needs professional removal — never a bin, because of the fire risk. And don’t let “a national scheme is coming” rush a decision: it’s a pilot for now, and your state’s rules are what actually apply today. Confirm the recycling fee at the time, because pricing genuinely varies.
Recycling old panels and batteries
— your questions, answered.
Yes. The Clean Energy Council states a solar panel is about 95% recyclable materials, including aluminium, glass, silicon, silver, copper, indium and germanium, with the aluminium frame and junction box the most commonly recovered parts. Accredited e-waste and dedicated solar PV recyclers exist across Australia, and your council e-waste service or Planet Ark's RecyclingNearYou can help you find one. The catch is that recycling costs money and is more expensive than landfilling, and the network is still maturing, so there isn't a single free national drop-off yet. Take panels to a lawful recycler rather than the tip, and in Victoria that recycler must have EPA authorisation.
In Victoria, effectively yes. Since 1 July 2019, Victoria has banned all e-waste from landfill, and Solar Victoria confirms that ban explicitly covers solar PV panels, inverters and energy-storage equipment at end of life, so they cannot go in any bin or to landfill and must go to a lawful e-waste point or PV recycler. Other states don't all have an identical statewide PV landfill ban; they rely on general e-waste and recycling pathways instead. So whether it's strictly illegal depends on your state, but landfilling panels is the wrong choice everywhere because it's wasteful. Check your local council or state EPA for the exact rule where you live.
Never in a bin. A wired-in home battery is a large, hazardous unit that needs professional removal by a qualified installer, who arranges accredited disposal. Loose batteries and small cells should be taken to accredited B-cycle collection points, not kerbside recycling or general waste. The reason is fire safety: lithium batteries can enter thermal runaway when crushed or damaged, and batteries in bins have caused thousands of waste-truck and facility fires across Australia. If your battery is being removed as part of an upgrade, ask the installer in writing how they dispose of it. The Clean Energy Council notes that, recycled properly, potentially 100% of battery components can be recovered.
Not a mandatory one, as of 2026. There is no mandatory national product-stewardship scheme in force for solar panels or batteries yet. What exists is a National Solar Panel Recycling Pilot: around A$24.7 million in federal funding to collect up to 250,000 panels from roughly 100 sites from 2026, designed to test logistics and inform a possible future scheme. So a national approach is proposed and being trialled, not law. For now, the rules that actually apply to you are your state's, such as Victoria's e-waste landfill ban, plus the accredited recycling and B-cycle pathways that already exist. Confirm the current status with DCCEEW before relying on it.
It costs money, and more than landfilling, but there's no single fixed price. Recycling a panel is more expensive than tipping it, which is a key reason a stewardship scheme is being pursued. Reported per-panel recycling figures vary widely depending on the recycler, the volume of panels and your location, so any single quoted number can be misleading. In practice the cost usually sits with whoever handles the removal: you, if disposing yourself, or folded into an installer's upgrade job. Ask up front what the recycling fee is and what's included, and confirm it at the time rather than relying on a headline figure, because pricing genuinely differs between recyclers and regions.
Often, yes. Many panels are removed and replaced well before the end of their roughly 30-year design life, during roof work, system upgrades or renovations, so a panel that still generates can be worth reusing or reselling before it's recycled. That keeps usable gear in service and avoids a recycling cost. Be aware there is currently no national program certifying or regulating the resale of used panels, so both buyer and seller rely on condition and good faith; have any second-hand panel tested and installed by a qualified professional. Batteries are different: there's no casual reuse, and they need professional removal and accredited disposal because of the fire risk.
Where these figures come from.
The end-of-life rules and figures on this page are drawn from Australian government and industry primary sources, current as at 2026. Rules and recycling costs change — confirm at the source before relying on a figure.
- Solar Victoria — Manage end-of-life solar PV (landfill ban, EPA-authorised recyclers)
- DCCEEW — National Solar Panel Recycling Pilot
- Clean Energy Council — Recycling wind turbines, solar panels and batteries fact sheet
- Clean Up Australia — Don't bin your batteries (battery fire risk and B-cycle)
- Planet Ark RecyclingNearYou — Victoria's e-waste ban explainer