The Western Australian Government is investing $17.8 million in the 2026-27 State Budget to build its capacity to recycle solar panels and embedded batteries.
Through the Remade in WA initiative, $13 million will be used to establish new collection, transport, and processing pathways for end-of-life solar panels from households and solar farms.
As a result, waste to landfill will be reduced and valuable materials will be recovered.
An additional $3 million will also be allocated to support local governments in collecting embedded batteries. These include batteries found in eRideables and household devices.
Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn says the investment is about protecting and restoring the state’s environment for future generations.
“By strengthening our waste and recycling systems, we are protecting our environment while supporting a more sustainable future for Western Australians,” Swinbourn says.
Energy and Decarbonisation and Manufacturing Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson says more solar panels and batteries are coming into use every day.
“We need systems to manage them at end-of-life, reducing waste and supporting a circular economy,” Sanderson says.
E-waste
According to Science Direct, solar panels typically last between 25-30 years, though can still function past this age. This is due to solar panels containing recoverable materials such as glass, aluminium, and silver.
Western Australia’s Waste Data Online portal reveals that the state generates roughly 69,000 tonnes of e-waste annually.
In 2019 alone, the entire nation created 511,000 tonnes of e-waste. For reference, this equates to each Australian household generating 20kg of e-waste, which is much higher than the global average of 7kg.
The Australian Government reports that only a third of valuable materials are recovered in e-waste, which means that around $430 million worth of materials were lost to landfill.
By 2030, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water reports that Australia’s e-waste is projected to grow by almost 30%, to 657,000 tonnes.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: iStock
