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The federal government has announced a billion-dollar fund to boost solar panel manufacturing in Australia. We welcome this announcement at Veolia Australia and New Zealand, but it is important that manufacturers create a product that is easily recyclable. Australia has a reputation as a renewable energy superpower, and manufacturing at scale will push us further ahead – however, to be truly great in this space we also need to look at recycling and resource recovery at scale. We have a mine of precious metals and rare earths sitting on our roofs. When old panels come down, those valuable commodities can be separated and cultivated back into this new in-country manufacturing sector. Our federal government must invest in pilot projects that lead to industrial-scale processes to recycle solar panels. From pilot to industrial process will take time, so before that we must ensure solar panels are designed to be easy to recycle today. Only then can we recover the resources they contain and reuse the parts in a way that creates a truly #CircularEconomy and a sustainable future for all Australians. https://lnkd.in/gRfw7v6K

BRIGHT FUTURE FOR SOLAR PANEL RECYCLING IN DUBBO REGION Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) will begin a solar panel recycling trial this Monday 4 December at the Whylandra Waste and Recycling Facility. The trial, which is being undertaken in partnership with PV Industries, will see over 90 per cent of end-of-life and damaged solar panel materials recovered and recycled when brought into the Whylandra facility. End-of-life solar panels are an emerging material stream presented to waste and recycling facilities across Australia and the globe. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) recently forecasted that waste from global cumulative solar photovoltaic (PV) projects would equate to more than 200 million tonnes by 2050. Most of this waste is coming from damaged and end-of-life solar panels. Manager Resource Recovery and Efficiency, Jamie Lobb, said this project further supports Council’s journey towards 80 per cent landfill diversion by 2030. “Council is committed to diverting at least 80 per cent of the items we receive at our waste and recycling facilities away from landfill by 2030.” “We are continuously exploring ways to improve our waste and recycling services and meet our 2030 target. This is important not just for our region, but also the wider community and indeed the planet,” Mr Lobb said. The fees for using the solar panel recycling program are: Residential and Commercial customers within the Dubbo region local government area: $5 per panel, $5 per inverter. Residential and Commercial customers that generate the product outside of the Dubbo region local government area: $274 per tonne (with a minimum $31 tonne charge). The solar panel recycling service will operate alongside other recently added services, such as the textile recycling trial and polystyrene recycling trial, ensuring Council remains proactive in its approach to waste management and steering towards a circular economy when the opportunities arise. For more information about Council’s waste facilities, including opening hours and other disposal services available visit https://lnkd.in/gPcnWm5f

Whether you call it Biogas, Renewable Natural Gas, or Landfill Gas - it’s a readily available renewable energy source that the world is taking notice of. Waste Management NZ Ltd is using it to power their fleet. What do you do with your flooring after its useful life? If it’s part of the 95%+ of carpet that’s not recycled, we think it should offer enhanced biodegradation and be used to power homes, schools, businesses, and local communities. Any company with a checkbook can buy carbon offsets half a world away, but we prefer to make an impact locally here at home. A viable end-of-life solution that CREATES energy rather than consumes it. #OnwardwithForth #SpecifySmarter https://lnkd.in/gPxjPYxY

Dive into BEnviro’s Waste-to-Resource efforts in Malaysia From renewable energy tech to scheduled waste recycling & treatment, BEnviro delivers green innovative solutions for ESG

#Queenslanders I've been telling you to look out for this one. Here it is! 💎 $45 million up for grabs for pipeline of recycling projects ⚡ $45 million for resource recovery and recycling businesses to develop large-scale, high-volume projects ⚡ Up to $10 million each for projects : - tackling commercial and industrial waste - providing recycling solutions for renewable energy technologies, electrical and electronic products, and batteries

🍃 "Ko te mea nui kei tēnei kaupapa ko te taiao" - The environment is our top priority." Our Tumu Tikanga, Te Teira Rawiri, was featured on Te Ao News earlier this week to discuss our mission to minimize emissions and how we're using waste-generated energy to charge our collection trucks. 🚛💡 Last year alone, we produced enough electricity to power 25,000 homes and fuel our electric fleet. Read the full story below 👀 #wastetoenergy #electricfleet #electricity #TeAoNews

With nearly one-third of the world’s waste ending up in South East Asia, Brisbane-based startup Cyclion Pty Ltd is stepping up. The company rolling out next-generation waste-to-energy plants across the region, starting with three groundbreaking projects in the Philippines. Once completed, these plants will process 900 tonnes of waste daily, producing over 52 million liters of fuel each year. CEO Philip Major shares how Cyclion harnesses the latent energy in mixed-waste materials, converting it into clean, renewable, and profitable energy. Click on the link in comments to find out how this innovative approach is transforming waste management and contributing to a sustainable future. #ConversationShapingOurFuture #WasteToEnergy #Sustainability #RenewableEnergy #Innovation #Cyclion #PhilipMajor #CleanEnergy #EnvironmentalImpact #SoutheastAsia

#RecyclingSolarPanels #Australia "Queensland Labor has tipped more than $5 million into a solar panel recycling pilot in the state in a bid to tackle the potentially huge PV waste problem looming on the flipside of Australia’s huge rooftop solar success story. The pilot, casually announced on LinkedIn on Friday, is part of the Solar Stewardship Scheme, which was announced roughly a year ago by the Queensland government and Planet Ark. The solar recycling pilot, which last year promised to investigate how and where best to go about collection, recovery and recycling of used PV modules, is being led by the Smart Energy Council. “In short, we’re working to ensure residential solar panels can avoid landfill and are repurposed for parts, whilst helping inform the development of a national product stewardship scheme,” said Smart Energy Council chief John Grimes in a video message on LinkedIn. Grimes said the funds would help turn Queensland into “the pilot state for solar recycling, to close the loop to make sure that we don’t solve the climate crisis and create a waste crisis in the process.” He says the pilot will also aim to tackle challenges identified since the announcement of the stewardship scheme and drive momentum and behaviour change in the industry. Queensland energy minister Mick de Brenni says the pilot means thousands of solar panels will now avoid landfill to be re-purposed for parts. “It’s all part of our more than $5 million announcement to take charge of the entire solar panel life cycle,” the minister said in his own message on LinkedIn. Time is of the essence. Queensland environment and science minister Meaghan Scanlon last year said the state is expecting its solar panel waste problem to explode by 2030, from not quite 1,000 tonnes in 2019 to 17,000 tonnes. To manage this, Scanlon’s department is considering banning solar panels from Queensland landfills – a draft e-products strategy could see this ban in place within the decade. Alternatives need to be found. “With the highest rooftop solar penetration in the country, we need to explore how we deal with panels when they reach the end of their life,” she said in a statement in March 2023. “We know that like other forms of e-waste, there is huge potential for parts to be recycled and in some instances repaired instead of ending up in landfill.” According to a recent University of New South Wales study, solar panel recycling can be a lucrative and productive process, with a typical 20kg module able to yield more than $20 worth of materials including aluminium, glass, silicon, silver, and copper. But there are costs, too. The study put the price of recycling solar in a range between $500 and $1,000 per tonne, covering transportation and before accounting for the revenue from sold materials. ..."

The zero-waste movement is gaining traction globally as cities aim to reduce their environmental footprint by minimizing waste generation and maximizing resource recovery. This article explores the concept of zero-waste cities, examines successful case studies, and looks at future prospects. #zerowaste #greencities #sustainability #cleancities #renewables

Exciting news from Queensland! The state government is investing $45 million (USD 30 million) to revolutionize recycling for industrial waste and renewable energy components, focusing on solar panels and batteries, including those for EVs and stationary storage systems. 📈 Why This Matters: - By 2030, Australia is expected to generate up to 100,000 tonnes of PV waste annually, with a staggering 1 million tonnes by 2035 (University of New South Wales). - End-of-life EV batteries are predicted to reach 30,000 tonnes by 2030, 360,000 tonnes by 2040, and an astonishing 1.6 million tonnes by 2050 (University of Technology Sydney). This ambitious funding supports 'high recovery' recycling projects, paving the way for a greener, more sustainable future. Together, let's turn waste into opportunity and drive the renewable revolution forward! 🌍🔋 Queensland targets solar and battery waste stream with $45 million commitment: https://lnkd.in/d4iRiG5j #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability #Recycling #GreenFuture #SolarEnergy #EVBatteries