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The Problem This Partnership Solves
For years, end-of-life solar panels in the UK had the same problem: there was no practical, nationwide route to recycle them properly. Panels were being stored indefinitely on sites, exported without adequate controls, or processed through generic WEEE shredders that recovered the aluminium frame and not much else. The silicon, silver and high-purity glass - the materials that actually matter - were largely lost.
At the same time, demand for those materials was growing. The solar industry consumed 19% of global silver supply in 2024. Silicon is a critical input for every new panel that gets manufactured. Recovering these materials from end-of-life modules at a purity high enough to go back into manufacturing is not just an environmental preference - it is an economic necessity for a sector that is scaling globally.
With the UK's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan targeting 45 to 47GW of solar capacity, and over a million installations from the Feed-in Tariff era approaching the end of their 25 to 30 year lifespan, the volume of panels requiring disposal is only going to grow. The infrastructure to handle that volume in the right way needed to exist before the wave arrived.
That is what this partnership - between Waste Experts, City Electrical Factors and ROSI - is designed to provide.
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
What This Means for Solar Installers and Operators
If you are an MCS-registered installer, this partnership means you have a practical, compliant recycling route for every panel that comes off a roof. Whether you are replacing one domestic system or clearing multiple commercial properties in a week, Waste Experts can co-ordinate collections that fit your workflow. You receive a Waste Transfer Note and WEEE Evidence Note for every collection - the documentation your customers may ask you for, and the records you are legally required to keep.
If you operate a solar farm or commercial rooftop estate, this partnership provides a route for end-of-life panels that goes beyond basic compliance. When your installation reaches the end of its serviceable life - or when storm damage, repowering or lease expiry means panels need to come down - we handle the logistics, the compliance documentation and the material recovery. You can report the recycling outcomes to investors and sustainability stakeholders with confidence that the numbers are accurate and auditable.
For EPC contractors managing decommissioning projects, the ability to manage all waste streams through a single provider - panels, inverters, cabling, BESS, hazardous materials - simplifies project delivery significantly. One contact, one set of paperwork, one audit trail across the whole project.
The partnership also means that panels collected through CEF's branch network - whether dropped off by installers clearing waste from jobs or accumulated by commercial operators - go through the same advanced ROSI processing route, not a generic WEEE shredder.
How This 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 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 energy components.
It also simplifies the process for anyone generating solar panel waste. Businesses, installers and facilities teams can arrange compliant collection through Waste Experts, making responsible solar panel recycling significantly easier to manage during upgrades, refurbishments and repowering programmes.
Environmental and Economic Benefits
A circular recycling model delivers value beyond landfill diversion. Recycling reduces the carbon intensity of future panel production by recovering materials already in circulation and preventing the need for virgin extraction. Over time, improved material recovery helps stabilise supply chains and reduce the cost of solar manufacturing. The silver and silicon recovered from one tonne of end-of-life panels represents real manufacturing input - not aggregate or filler material.
For operators and installers with ESG reporting requirements, the ROSI processing route provides certifiable data on material recovery rates, not just confirmation that waste was taken away. That is an increasingly important distinction as sustainability reporting standards tighten.
What This Means for the Future of Renewable Energy
This partnership marks a practical step forward for UK solar's end-of-life pathway. By building a nationwide infrastructure for collection and high-value recovery, it 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. Solar should be sustainable not just at installation, but at end of life too. This is how that happens.
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.
