diy solar

diy solar

Disposing of Broken Solar Panels

G

GBS

New Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2023
Messages
39
Location
Maryland
We had 3 solar panels delivered with broken glass. The vendor sent replacements, but now I'm stuck with 3 broken ones. We called several places in MD and no one wants to touch them. Any suggestions of how to dispose of them?

Thanks
 
Separate the frames = scrap aluminum $
Separate the glass = recycle or garbage
Film with back sheet can be accepted at most electronics recycling places. (They just don't want the frame or glass)

My local county has a recycle day where they accept tires/ electronics / propane tanks / appliances and so on for free.
 
Cut it in 3 pieces with jig saw and put in city trash can. Be aware that glass shards will fly everywhere so do it on 10x10' plastic sheet on the ground to catch them and wear PPE.

solar panel trash.jpg
 
AntronX said:
Cut it in 3 pieces with jig saw and put in city trash can. Be aware that glass shards will fly everywhere so do it on 10x10' plastic sheet on the ground to catch them and wear PPE.

View attachment 230000
Click to expand...
I dont think this is very smart. Most places wont take them because of hazardous materials. In my area, they will know you threw that out, and you will be fined/reported for it.
 
Maybe this is why we shouldn't find broken panels on shipments to just be an acceptable situation. Simply issuing a credit or sending replacement panels isn't a good enough solution in my mind. If I'm going to have to deal with nonsense trying to dispose of it, I want to be compensated for my time.

Either the vendor or the shipping company should have to deal with it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: D71
Lt.Dan said:
I dont think this is very smart. Most places wont take them because of hazardous materials. In my area, they will know you threw that out, and you will be fined/reported for it.
Click to expand...
There is nothing hazardous about them (as long as they are not CdTe or CIGS panels). In my city the trash gets mixed with other peoples trash in the garbage truck. So unless the garbage truck driver recognizes it in the split second that the can gets dumped into the bin in front of the truck and actually cares to document it (they are low paid bottom of the barrel talent) then I guess you may have a problem. Just dump them one at a time or cut them into smaller pieces and camouflage by wrapping them in cardboard.
 
Our trucks have video monitoring and recording, and lights, to monitor for prohibited items. So, they may not catch you dumping illegal stuff, but if they notice something illegal they can go back to the video to track where it came from.
 
I don't think I've seen solar panels on the list of prohibited items. :ROFLMAO:
 
I posted the bit about cameras on garbage trucks because I don't want anyone to become complacent in thinking they aren't watching what you throw out. I live in a sparsely populated rural area and the trucks here are monitored.

I personally don't have a problem with putting a solar panel in household garbage, but I don't make the rules. Some places may consider them hazardous waste. I supposed they could also be called construction debris. Check the rules for your area. How long would it take to pick up the phone and call your waste collection agency?

We don't have curbside recycling so we make that run about once a month. I'll ask next time I go, but that doesn't help today.
 
  • Like
Reactions: D71
Our trash service also has video recording to watch what goes in the truck. My next door neighbor also does our trash route and he is most certainly not "low paid bottom of the barrel talent".
 
Are silicon based solar panels considered hazardous waste? There is no clear answer but in general it appears that NO they are not and can be disposed of in Class 3 landfill (yard, construction waste etc.) Here is what South Carolina guideline says:
Solar panels are not considered electronic devices or universal waste. Therefore, a determination
must be made for hazardous or non-hazardous designation before disposal.
Click to expand...
There are no regulatory exclusions specific to solar panels. Consult with the solar panel
manufacturer to learn more about the product and to determine if it should be handled as a
hazardous or non-hazardous waste. Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) sampling
analysis can be used to determine if a material is considered hazardous or non-hazardous.
Click to expand...
Solar panel waste can include heavy metals such as silver, lead, arsenic and cadmium that – at
certain levels – may be classified as hazardous waste.
Click to expand...
The following are some panels that do or may contain toxic material.
• CDTe solar panels may be a hazardous due to cadmium.
• Gallium arsenide (GaAs) panels may be hazardous due to arsenic.
• Some older silicon solar panels may be hazardous waste for hexavalent chromium coatings.
• Newer, thin-film solar panels contain CIS/CIGS and may be hazardous due to copper and/or
selenium.
Click to expand...
Non-hazardous solar panels may be disposed of in a Municipal Solid Waste Class 3 Landfill
in South Carolina. Recycling, however, is preferred to disposal as solar panels are bulky and hard
to manage in a landfill.
Click to expand...
 
Other suggestions - Easy to find people that haul trash away. Maybe a neighbor or friend makes trips to the junk yard. I hauled my three broken panels to the junk yard along with other trash. The Waste Facility has a separate area where the broken panels are located and then recycled. And yes, their were a lot of panels in that area...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Eco-Worthy 100w Bifacial panel purchase, shipping and eventual installation review.
Replies
6
Views
1K
Mattb4
M
OffGridInTheCity
Shout out to ebay Surplus Solar Products - fantastic service - replacing 6 bad with 7 new for free!
Replies
2
Views
344
Sunhub
Sunhub
vallesj
Ecoworthy solar tracker, 8 x 195w bifacial panels, Growatt 3kw able to be batteryless, and a 2500wh battery
Replies
4
Views
358
Johneb
J
R
Using Cracked panels from Solar Farm?
Replies
7
Views
581
Rednecktek
Rednecktek
TechRider
Grouping Solar Panels
Replies
11
Views
400
Hedges
Hedges

diy solar

diy solar
Back
Top