A new solar panel recycling facility has opened at Bankstown Airport with the expectation to divert approximately 200,000 panels from landfill per year.
The new facility by PV Industries is expected to process up to 6,000 tonnes of solar panels per year, with each panel processed in under 90 seconds.
The Australian startup has developed two recycling technologies, the Deframer and Deglasser, which can recover up to 90 per cent of solar panels by weight.
Tony Chappel, Chief Executive Officer of NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), said the business received $3.3 million from the EPA to help establish the facility.
“This new Bankstown facility is a game changer, with the capacity to take large amounts of solar panel waste and drive new end-markets for recovered glass and critical minerals,” Chappel said.
“It’s estimated by 2035, solar panel waste in New South Wales could reach up to 63,000 tonnes per year, so facilities like this will be critical to managing this growing waste stream.”
Six drop off points have been established across the state including in Bankstown, Dubbo, Maitland, Newcastle, Thornleigh and the Central Coast.
James Petesic, Co-Founder of PV Industries, said the business was grateful for the support of the NSW EPA, as well as industry and local government partners.
“The NSW EPA had the foresight in 2019 to establish the Circular Solar grant program, the first of its kind in Australia, to futureproof New South Wales solar recycling capacity,” Petesic said.
“It enabled us at PV Industries, a local Sydney start-up, to bring our Deframer and Deglasser to life and ensure we are ready for the pending wave of end-of-life solar panels.”
For more information, visit: www.epa.nsw.gov.au/
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