Towards 2030: Australia Pushes for Higher Waste Recovery Amid Net Zero Push

Australia’s infrastructure needs development—although solar and wind are useful resources in the clean energy transition, they produce considerable waste.

Solar energy fields and wind turbines seen from the air in foggy conditions in Muntendam, Netherlands, in September 2022. Daniel Bosma/Getty Images

The Australian government is currently considering large-scale renewable waste management systems that can assist the country’s move towards net zero.

A spokesperson for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water (DCCEEW) said state environment ministers in October 2022 pushed for solutions under the National Waste Policy Action Plan.

Targets include achieving an 80 percent recovery rate from all waste streams and significantly increasing the use of recycled contents.

“Improvements in the waste and resource recovery sector will support Australia’s efforts towards net zero, particularly for organics,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email.

Renewable energy is important for Australia’s transition to clean energy, but solar and wind produce considerable amounts of waste and Australia is limited in its waste management infrastructure.

Solar panels contain recyclable materials, and some wind turbine producers have launched plans to improve sustainability.

“Glass, silicone, silver and other metals can be produced from recycled PV panels, and leading wind turbine producers have committed to producing zero waste turbines by 2030,” the DCCEEW spokesperson said.

Some renewable sources, such as hydro, do not produce waste.

Solar Disposal

Solar power is one of the main methods Australia is utilising to achieve its net zero goals.

However, it is expected to produce over 50,000 tonnes of waste in 2025 and possibly around 100,000 tonnes per year by 2030, according to a study led by University of New South Wales (UNSW) and commissioned by Australia’s largest renewable energy company Neoen Australia.

Solar systems are inspected before entering landfills to minimise environmental damage but the panels take up space and can leach harmful chemicals into the environment as they degrade. This has led some states, such as Victoria, to ban the disposal of solar energy systems in landfills altogether.

Further, although 95 percent of the materials in solar panels are recyclable, Australian companies can only recycle up to 17 percent of a solar panel by weight due to insufficient recycling programs.

However, the DCCEEW spokesperson said the Australian government has announced its intention to develop a regulated solar panel recycling scheme. 

A regulated recycling scheme would ensure that the valuable material in solar panels contributes to Australia’s circular economy.

“Managing the waste from renewable energy systems is an important part of the renewable energy transition and our move to a more circular economy,” the spokesperson said.

Solar panels are seen on a roof in Albany, Western Australia, on March 29, 2024. Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times

Solar System Recycling

Solar system recycling processes are varied, but the most commonly recycled panel components are aluminium frames and plastic junction boxes. The copper wire in solar panels is also easily recyclable.

Batteries and inverters—which convert the electricity generated by solar panels to that used in the energy grid—are also recyclable through Australia’s existing e-waste recycling system.

However, the glass and back sheeting that comprise a large part of solar panels isn’t recyclable in Australia.

The recycling process for thin-film solar panels is somewhat different. The substance created following the shredding and milling of thin-film panels is a mixture of solids and liquids, so a rotating screw is used to separate the solid and liquid components.

They are then treated separately to secure 90 percent of the glass elements and, on average, 95 percent of the semiconductor materials.

The Royalla Solar Farm in Canberra, Australia on Jun. 28, 2016. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

High Recycling Costs

The cost of solar system recycling processes in Australia is also problematic, as the recycling cost for one panel in 2023 was estimated to be between $10 to $20 (US$6.50 to $13) plus removal fees.

“If you have a system of 10 panels on your roof, you’re going to pay at least $200 to dispose of them,” Rong Deng, a University of New South Wales research fellow said.

Additionally, regular production of new systems typically costs less than creating solar panels from recycled materials, encouraging the use of single-use solar panels rather than recycled ones.

Another alternative to disposal is reuse. Following their 20 to 30-year lifespan, solar panels can still power off-grid systems such as electric bike charging stations.

However, some panels are disposed of before their end-of-life for newer, more modern panels.

“In the last decade, we’re seeing a growing trend of replacing PV modules even though they are in perfect working condition,” said Richard Corkish, a solar expert at the University of New South Wales’s (UNSW) Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics.

“A lot of people installed small, expensive systems some years ago but rather than adding on to them, they’ve been convinced to replace them altogether.”

Two wind turbines are seen in Albany, Western Australia, on April 9, 2024. Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times

Wind Turbine Disposal

Meanwhile, wind turbines are also one of the cheapest sources of clean renewable energy, but they, too, produce a considerable amount of non-recyclable waste that often ends up in landfills.

By 2034, the decommissioning of wind farms in Australia will have generated an estimated 15,000 tonnes of blade waste, according to the Clean Energy Council.

However, similarly to solar panels, turbines are largely recyclable with around 85 to 90 percent of a wind turbine’s mass being recyclable in Australia.

Yet, a 2022 University of South Australia study estimated that tens of thousands of wind turbine blades would end up in landfills if end-of-life programs were not soon established.

The study illuminated the challenges that turbine blade recycling posed.

Turbines are either made of carbon fibre or glass fibre composite material—a combination of two or more materials with dissimilar chemical and physical properties—which are expensive to break down.

Additionally, the materials retrieved through these recycling processes have minimal market value.

“The same features that make these blades cost-effective and reliable for use in commercial wind turbines make them very difficult to recycle in a cost-effective fashion,” Professor Peter Majewski, who led the study, said.

Due to the cost of recycling processes and the limited value of the retrieved materials, Majewski said expecting a market-based recycling solution to emerge is unrealistic.

He said that the cost of sustainable disposal likely will need to be factored into the costs of manufacturing or operating wind turbines.

For example, the manufacturer would be responsible for disposal or the provision of end-of-life solutions would be integrated into planning approval processes for wind farm business operations.

However, Majewski said that official frameworks are required to ensure proper disposal systems are still in place if manufacturers disappear or wind farms go bankrupt.

Meanwhile, the DCCEEW spokesperson said the government has committed to developing a wind turbine recycling facility.

“The government has committed $3 million to develop a recycling facility for wind turbines under the Cooperative Research Centres Program,” they said.