Quick answer
After they’re collected, old solar panels don’t all go to one place. They are counted and documented, then sorted by condition. Panels in sound working order are tested and can re-enter service through a second-life market; damaged or end-of-life panels are directed to recycling, where glass, aluminium, silicon and small amounts of copper and silver are recovered. Landfill is the last resort, because a panel is roughly 95% recoverable and, in commercial quantities, is treated as e-waste.
Collected and documented
The journey starts on site. Panels are safely stacked, collected and counted onto a job docket — a simple record of how many panels were picked up and from where. That documentation matters for businesses, which carry a duty of care to show where their waste went. You can see ReSova’s real collection record on the about page.
Sorted by condition
Not every removed panel is waste, and not every panel can be reused — so the next step is assessment. A physical inspection checks the frame, glass, backsheet and junction box, and an electrical test confirms whether the panel still performs. Based on that, each panel is graded: reuse candidates go one way, recycling the other. This is the key difference between a responsible collector and simply sending everything to the tip.
The reuse path
Tested, sound panels can be resold into a second-life market rather than broken down. ReSova works with an international second-life channel for suitable panels, alongside domestic recycling for the rest. Reuse keeps the whole panel working and retains more value, so it sits highest on the waste hierarchy — we cover it in detail in second-life solar.
The recycling path
Panels that are damaged, underperforming or genuinely at end of life are directed to recycling, where they are broken down and their materials recovered. According to the Clean Energy Council, about 95% of a panel’s materials can be recovered. The detailed process is in how solar panels are recycled.
| Material | Share (approx.) | Recovered for |
|---|---|---|
| Glass | ~70% | New glass, aggregate |
| Aluminium frame | ~10–15% | Remelted aluminium |
| Silicon cells | ~3–5% | Silicon, silver, copper |
| Metals (Cu, Ag) | <1% | High-value metal recovery |
Why not landfill
Landfill recovers nothing, and it’s increasingly restricted — in several states panels are classed as e-waste and banned from landfill. Yet only a minority of the panels decommissioned in Australia each year are currently recycled, according to government and industry reporting, largely because collection and processing infrastructure is still catching up. That gap is exactly what the federal government’s national solar panel recycling pilot is designed to close. We cover the rules in can you recycle solar panels.
How ReSova does it in Sydney
For Sydney homes, electricians and businesses, ReSova collects removed panels on site, counts and documents the pickup, then sorts by condition — sound panels are assessed for reuse and the rest are directed to recycling or recovery. Check what we can take on the what we collect page, or get an indicative price with the online estimator.
Key takeaways
- After collection, panels are counted and documented on a job docket, then sorted by condition.
- Sound, tested panels can re-enter service through a second-life market.
- Damaged or end-of-life panels are recycled, recovering glass, aluminium, silicon and trace metals.
- Landfill is the last resort — panels are roughly 95% recoverable and, in bulk, treated as e-waste.
- Only a minority of decommissioned panels are recycled today, which is driving new capacity and policy.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to solar panels after they are collected?
They are counted, documented on a job docket, then sorted by condition. Panels in sound working order are tested and assessed for reuse; damaged or end-of-life panels are directed to recycling, where materials like glass, aluminium and silicon are recovered. Panels are sorted by outcome rather than all sent to one place.
Are old solar panels actually recycled in Australia?
Increasingly, but capacity is still catching up. A panel is roughly 95% recyclable by material, yet only a minority of decommissioned panels are recycled today, according to government and industry reporting — which is why a national recycling pilot and product-stewardship scheme are being developed.
What materials are recovered from a solar panel?
Mostly glass and the aluminium frame, plus the silicon cells and small amounts of copper and silver. These are separated and returned to material streams. The polymer layers are processed or used for energy recovery.
Do you keep a record of where my panels went?
Yes. ReSova counts and documents every collection on a job docket, which matters for businesses with duty-of-care obligations. Panels are then sorted by condition for reuse or recycling.
See what we collect
ReSova collects old solar panels on site across Sydney, then sorts them for reuse or recycling. Check coverage and pricing for your postcode, or talk to the team.