NSW is proposing mandatory product stewardship requirements for solar panel suppliers and brand owners
The proposed scheme would place greater responsibility on solar panel brand owners to responsibly manage end-of-life modules
The consultation also examines opportunities for local panel recycling and remanufacturing
The New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia plans to introduce a mandatory product stewardship scheme for solar panels, to put in place rules for responsible solar panel recycling in the state.
The scheme aims to ensure responsible end-of-life management of solar panels by increasing recycling, resource recovery and producer responsibility in NSW.
For this, the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has proposed the draft Product Lifecycle Responsibility Amendment (Photovoltaic Panels) Regulation 2026. Under the draft, the EPA would establish a product stewardship organization (PSO) with solar panel suppliers paying fee to support it.
The proposed regulation, explains the EPA, would establish mandatory product stewardship arrangements for solar panels supplied in the state so they don’t end up in a landfill at the end of life.
The Australian state has more than 1.18 million rooftop solar installations totaling 8.6 GW spread across households, businesses, schools and communities, beyond large-scale solar farms.
NSW expects the annual end-of-life solar panel waste to grow in the state from close to 14,000 tons at present to around 89,000 tons by 2045-46. Currently, most end-of-life solar panels are either illegally dumped, stockpiled or sent to the landfills. The annual economic cost to NSW from current disposal practices is estimated to be around AUD 15 million, which could increase to around $101 million in 2045-46, as per government estimates.
The government says diverting this waste from landfills will be critical to support environmental sustainability and promote circular economy.
“The objectives of the scheme are to promote recycling and higher-level resource recovery for solar panels and ensure producer responsibility for solar panels throughout their full lifecycle,” stated the EPA.
The consultation also includes an Issues Paper on local remanufacturing for which the EPA seeks stakeholder feedback on the opportunities and barriers to building a domestic advanced manufacturing industry.
The EPA said it is examining how the proposed scheme could support local solar panel recycling, manufacturing and remanufacturing, while attracting investment and creating jobs. Feedback to the draft will help shape the scheme and future policies, it added.
The EPA launched the draft for public consultation on September 20, 2026. It will accept submissions until November 16, 2026. Details are available on its website.
At the national level, Australia announced a National Solar Panel Recycling Pilot in March 2026 with plans to invest AUD 24.7 million in over three years (see Australia Launches Call For National Solar Panel Recycling Pilot).
