Can solar panels be recycled?
Yes, most of a panel by weight. Here's what's in one and where old panels should go.
Yes. A typical silicon panel is an aluminum frame, glass, copper wire, polymer layers and a backsheet, silicon cells and a plastic junction box, and many of these can be recycled. Glass makes up about 75% of a panel's weight, and the frame, wire and junction box are easy to recycle, the EPA says (EPA).
What's inside and what happens to it
- Glass — most of the weight; recyclable.
- Aluminum frame, copper wire, junction box — easily recycled.
- Silicon cells and polymer layers — harder to separate; this is where recycling costs come from.
- Metals such as lead and cadmium may be present, which is why panels shouldn't go in household trash.
What to do with old panels
- Ask your installer whether they take panels back when they replace them.
- Find a recycler through the DOE Solar Manufacturing Map, Earth911 or SEIA's recycling list, as the EPA suggests.
- Prefer certified recyclers — the EPA names the R2 and e-Stewards standards.
- Check state rules. Some states handle end-of-life panels under specific waste rules; your state environmental agency can tell you.
Reuse before recycling
Working panels can get a second life elsewhere, though the EPA notes the US market for used panels hasn't gained much traction yet. Panels lose output slowly, about 0.5% a year: how long solar panels last.
Run your own numbers
Enter your ZIP and bill to see what a new system would cost and save.
Keep reading
- How much solar panels cost in 2026 — Average price per watt by state and city, and what a 5, 7 or 10 kW system costs before incentives.
- Disadvantages of solar panels — Nine downsides to weigh before you sign, with numbers from real tariffs.
- How long solar panels last — Lifespan, how much output drops each year, and what a 7 kW system still makes in year 25 in each city.
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Updated 2026-09-22.