Australia has millions of rooftop solar panels. Many of these panels will soon reach the end of their life. Without action, more panels could end up in landfill.
To address this, the Australian Government is investing $24.7 million (USD 17 million) over three years. The funding will support a national pilot to improve solar panel recycling. The pilot will help plan a future national recycling and product stewardship scheme.
The pilot will:
- establish around 100 collection sites across Australia
- test real world solutions for collecting, transporting and recycling end of life solar panels
- recycle up to 250,000 panels from households, businesses and solar farms
- examine key challenges, including the high cost of transport, especially in regional areas.
The tender is now open through AusTender.
The ATM closes at 5pm AEST Friday, 24 April 2026.
The pilot will help reduce waste and recover materials like copper and aluminium. It will also support clean energy and help build a stronger circular economy.
Industry briefing
An industry briefing will be held at 1:00 pm AEST on Thursday, 9 April 2026.
To receive an invitation to the briefing, email solarpv@dcceew.gov.au by 5pm AEST on Tuesday 7 April 2026.
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