Solar panels disposal

[Goldtarget]

Heading to the collective brains trust of pa for this one, anyone have any idea if there's a dedicated place to get rid of solar panels? I was a bit shocked when I struggled to find anything online with the massive uptake of panels. I ask from the point of view that some really nasty stuff can be present in some of these, I would like them to find the best home possible now they have finished their life. Any suggestion is a good one, the installers were less than helpful. TIA.

 

[Balmain Bob]

Goldtarget,
Do they still work? If so , why not on sell them? If they have been decommissioned, ie, no longer function. I would look at taking then to the old crt drop off recyclers. They may be able to take them. Around Sydney it cost nothing to drop off old tvs, computers and other electronic equipment at the local waste station.
Its worth checking out. Solar panel carry a lot of the same compnents as tv and the like
.Even if it cost a few dollars to dispose of it ,its better than sticking it under the house for 20 years and forgetting about it

cheers

Bob

 

[Metamorphic]

Remember that manufacturers in the early days created millions of pounds of toxic waste without selling a single solar panel, while they were developing their technology or fine-tuning their production.

The roughly 20-year life of a solar panel still makes it some of the cleanest energy technology currently available. Producing solar is still significantly cleaner than fossil fuels.
Energy derived from natural gas and coal-fired power plants, for example, creates more than 10 times more hazardous waste than the same energy created by a solar panel

While much of the waste produced is generally considered semi-toxic, there was no evidence it has harmed human health.

Dig a big hole mate where you dont plan on planting vegies!

 

[Goldtarget]

Cheers guys. I've handled some pretty awful waste in my time and the points made are well noted. It's a bit like TV screens, the the domestic smelters are all closed now which means one of two places, big holes here or who knows what abroad. We must be on the cusp of someone figuring this out, but like Tvs until someone can turn a dollar it seems there's no end of life plan for them. I can put them through the usual channels I was wondering if anyone had a better solution. There's an awfully big number of these that eventually will be taken off the rooftops.

 

[thedigger]

Often see them time to time on Ebay,someone will buy them,do not just dump them.
Put them in the for sale section here.

Regards Frank

 

[silver]

Sit them on the footpath and watch them disappear,...maybe don't leave them out in the sun though(ha),...Don't leave them out there really though, it'd be like feeding sharks, in the frenzy they'll come back again and again and end up taking anything that's not bolted down.

 

[wooly]

Sit them on the footpath and watch them disappear

Haha I know of someone that had an old trailer that they put on the footpath with a sign saying free to good home.
It stayed there for 3 weeks. He then put a for sale sign on it and it was stolen overnight.