We have some solar panel recycling companies coming online here in Australia already ([1] for example, but there are at least three or four other companies I've

We have some solar panel recycling companies coming online here in Australia already ([1] for example, but there are at least three or four other companies I've heard of starting up), and I'm sure that will be the case elsewhere as well, so I don't know how accurate that is. It's worth putting it in perspective too - huge amounts of waste are generated in power generation that solar is replacing, like coal power. One source (quoting research from IEA but the original document link is dead now) puts the amount of coal ash produced each year at 3.7 billion tons [2]. Here in Australia, it makes up more than one fifth of all waste produced in the country, and most of it is just dumped (in some places around the world it's used as an additive in concrete). But coal fly ash is full of highly toxic elements, including heavy metals. 1. https://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-first-solar-panel-recycling-plant-swings-into-action/ https://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-first-solar-panel-rec... 2. https://www.envirojustice.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/EJA_CoalAshReport-lr.pdf https://www.envirojustice.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/...