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The Only True Circular Solution for Solar Panels Is Here
As the United Kingdom accelerates its transition to a greener future, the solar industry faces an urgent question: what happens to solar panels when they reach end of life? With the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan aiming for 45–47 GW of solar capacity, the number of installations is rising fast - and so is the need for a practical, compliant solar panel recycling solution.
By 2025, over one million tonnes of photovoltaic (PV) modules are expected to require recycling across Europe. Yet the UK still lacks enough infrastructure to handle solar panel waste at scale. Without specialist routes, panels risk being stockpiled, illegally exported, or mishandled, creating environmental harm and losing valuable materials such as silicon, silver, copper, aluminium, and glass.
To tackle this head-on, Waste Experts, City Electrical Factors (CEF), and ROSI have joined forces to launch a nationwide collection and treatment programme for solar panel recycling. This partnership brings together logistics, national accessibility, and advanced treatment to build a circular economy where materials from retired PV modules can be reclaimed and reintegrated into future production.
This collaboration sets a new benchmark for solar waste management in the UK - making compliant recycling more accessible, more efficient, and far more circular than standard approaches.
A Partnership Set to Transform the Solar Industry
This programme combines three specialist capabilities to make UK-wide solar panel recycling practical.
Waste Experts: Driving Specialist, Compliant Collections
As a specialist in regulated waste streams, Waste Experts leads the national collection model - ensuring panels are handled safely, moved compliantly, and supported by an audit-ready documentation trail.
Shaun Donaghey, Managing Director of Waste Experts, highlighted the value of collaboration in tackling the solar waste challenge:
“Our collaboration highlights the vital role of global partnerships in tackling sustainability challenges. With our nationwide collection service and ROSI’s cutting-edge recycling processes, we’re not just addressing the immediate issue of end-of-life solar panel waste - we’re establishing a framework for responsible lifecycle management that sets a new benchmark for the renewable energy sector.”
Waste Experts coordinates uplift and logistics so end-of-life modules reach ROSI’s specialist facility with controlled handling aligned to UK environmental requirements and WEEE obligations.
City Electrical Factors (CEF): Enabling Nationwide Access
CEF’s role is simple and powerful: make solar recycling accessible. As one of the UK’s largest electrical distributors, CEF’s national branch network helps contractors, businesses, and installers connect end-of-life panels with a responsible recycling route.
Mike Gadd, Director of Renewables at CEF, explained the benefit for customers:
“Waste Experts provide CEF customers with a nationwide solution to manage their carbon footprint by considering a product’s full lifecycle and ensuring responsible end-of-life treatment. By recovering valuable materials and minimising landfill waste, we are driving long-term sustainability in clean energy and beyond.”
By embedding recycling within the supply chain, the programme helps bridge the gap between solar installation and responsible end-of-life processing - a key step in making solar genuinely circular.
ROSI: Pioneering High-Value Solar Panel Material Recovery
ROSI brings the treatment capability that changes the game. Many conventional routes recover limited material value. ROSI’s advanced approach uses thermal, mechanical, and chemical processing to extract high-purity silicon, silver, copper, aluminium, and glass from decommissioned PV modules.
Yun Luo, President and Cofounder of ROSI, commented:
“We are thrilled to partner with Waste Experts and CEF, leading figures in sustainable waste management in the UK. Their dedication to diverting waste from landfills and driving a circular economy perfectly aligns with our vision. This collaboration allows us to introduce our advanced solar panel recycling solutions to the UK market, ensuring responsible end-of-life management for photovoltaic modules.”
ROSI’s recovery performance is a major differentiator:
- Up to 95% of a PV module’s value recovered
- Less than 1% sent to landfill
That reduces reliance on virgin materials and keeps the solar value chain stronger over time
How This Partnership Redefines Solar Panel Recycling in the UK
Historically, end-of-life solar panels have too often been stored indefinitely or routed through unsuitable waste channels due to gaps in specialist UK infrastructure. That creates environmental risk and wastes recoverable materials that should stay in circulation.
This new nationwide programme provides a controlled route where components - from glass and silicon to precious metals like silver and copper - can be recovered and reintroduced into manufacturing. It reduces the environmental impact of solar waste and supports a more resilient UK supply chain for renewable components.
It also simplifies participation. Businesses, installers, and facilities teams can schedule compliant uplift through Waste Experts - making responsible solar panel recycling far easier to execute during upgrades, refurbishment projects, and repowering programmes.
Environmental and Economic Benefits of Solar Panel Recycling
A circular recycling model delivers value beyond diversion.
Environmental impact
Recycling reduces the carbon intensity of future panel production by recovering materials already in circulation. It also prevents avoidable environmental harm that can occur when panels are mishandled or incorrectly stored.
Economic value
Recovering high-value materials supports future manufacturing and reduces the need for virgin extraction. Over time, improved recovery can help stabilise supply chains and support lower-cost solar production.
What This Means for the Future of Renewable Energy
This partnership marks a pivotal moment for the UK’s clean energy sector: solar panels can now have a true end-of-life pathway that is both practical and circular.
By building a nationwide infrastructure for collection and high-value recovery, the programme addresses the immediate solar waste gap and lays the foundation for a long-term circular economy in renewables.
As the UK progresses towards net zero, responsible end-of-life management will be essential for protecting the integrity of the renewable transition. This initiative shows that with the right collaboration, solar can remain sustainable at end of life - not just at installation.
Conclusion
Solar power is only truly sustainable when its end-of-life pathway is sustainable too. This partnership delivers a practical nationwide route for compliant solar panel recycling - combining specialist logistics, nationwide access, and advanced high-value recovery. For installers, businesses, and facilities teams, it provides a clear way to manage solar panel waste responsibly, support ESG goals, and keep valuable materials in circulation.
