Solar Panel Recycling and WEEE Rules for Businesses
Updated 23 October 2026 · SEO Dons Editorial
Are solar panels covered by the WEEE Regulations?
Yes. GOV.UK's list of equipment covered by the WEEE Regulations puts PV panels in Category 14 and states that all PV panels are EEE products. Because panels are of a generic size and design, they must be reported as household (B2C) equipment regardless of where they are installed. GOV.UK says this includes panels in solar farms and on commercial premises.
Inverters and other ancillary equipment are not in Category 14. GOV.UK places them in Category 9, and swapping one mid-life is covered on the repowering page. End-of-life terms belong on the same checklist as the datasheet figures on the commercial PV panels page.
Who pays to collect and recycle panels from a commercial roof?
The WEEE Regulations 2013 split financing by who holds the equipment and when it was placed on the market. The GOV.UK pages used here do not say how that works out for a commercial array, so settle it in writing before work is scheduled.
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Regulation 11: WEEE from private households | The cost of household WEEE deposited at a designated collection facility is the responsibility of producers that placed equipment on the UK market in the previous compliance period. |
| Regulation 12: equipment placed on the UK market on or after 13 August 2005 | Producers finance collection, treatment, recovery and disposal of WEEE from users other than private households, unless they agree alternative arrangements with the user. |
| Regulation 47: equipment placed on the market before 13 August 2005 | Where regulation 12(1)(b) does not apply, the final user finances it and must ensure it is treated at an authorised treatment facility (ATF) or exported by an approved exporter. |
| GOV.UK reporting rule | Producers report PV panels as household (B2C) wherever they are installed. |
| One compliance scheme's published terms (PV CYCLE UK) | Household-origin quantities below 30 panels go through collection facilities. Quantities above 30 from professional installations and solar farms are billed at cost, paid by the producer on agreement or by the waste holder, and collected after pre-payment. |
Regulation 47 covers only equipment placed on the market before 13 August 2005, so it is unlikely to be the rule for an array commissioned in the 2010s. Regulation 11 deals with household WEEE and regulation 12 with other users, yet producers report all PV panels as household (B2C). That mismatch is why the contract and the scheme's terms matter, and why you should not assume the manufacturer funds removal of a whole roof. Ask the supplier which compliance scheme the panels are registered with and who pays for the quantity you hold. The Environment Agency publishes registers of producers and approved schemes, last updated on 8 October 2026.
What duty of care does the owner have?
Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 puts a duty on anyone who imports, produces, carries, keeps, treats or disposes of controlled waste to take the measures that are reasonable in the circumstances. GOV.UK's code of practice puts it plainly: the law requires anyone dealing with waste to keep it safe, make sure it is dealt with responsibly and give it only to authorised businesses. For a removal job, GOV.UK's business waste guidance means:
- checking that the waste carrier is registered;
- completing a waste transfer note for each load that leaves the premises, which both businesses fill in and sign;
- keeping a copy for 2 years and showing it to a council or Environment Agency enforcement officer if asked.
The code applies in England or Wales. For a site in Scotland or Northern Ireland, check that nation's equivalent rules.
What happens to a panel at a treatment plant?
Environment Agency rules for permitted WEEE facilities say panels must be handled and stored to prevent breakage, and that disconnected panels can still generate electricity, so they are stored glass side down. The Agency also says panels may contain hazardous substances such as lead in solder, cadmium telluride and compounds of selenium. Operators must remove the lead from all panels and the hazardous semiconductor layer from non-silicon based panels.
| Part of the panel | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Glass | PV CYCLE UK says a panel contains at minimum 75% flat glass, and up to 95% for some technologies. |
| Aluminium frame | PV CYCLE UK's example of product recycling is a recovered aluminium frame becoming an aluminium frame again. |
| Silicon, silver and other metals | IEA PVPS Task 12 (April 2026) says mechanical recycling remains the dominant commercial approach for crystalline silicon modules, and that newer thermal and chemical combinations show promising results for recovering silicon, silver and other metals at higher purities. |
| Lead solder, non-silicon semiconductor layers | The Environment Agency requires operators to remove them. |
Authorised treatment facilities must prove they meet recovery and recycling targets, and GOV.UK's table lists 80% recovery and 70% recycling for Category 14.
Can working panels be reused instead?
GOV.UK tells businesses to prevent, reuse, recycle or recover waste, in that order. When an array is partly replaced, that points to asking whether sound modules have a use before they are classed as waste. Ofgem's Feed-in Tariff rules, for example, allow equipment to be replaced with equipment from a previously accredited installation. How long modules stay in service is on the lifespan and degradation page.
Decommissioning checklist for a rooftop array
- Read the contracts. A power purchase agreement, roof lease or finance agreement may say who owns the panels and who must remove them.
- Tell the Feed-in Tariff licensee, if there is one. Ofgem says that if all the plant up to the point of grid connection is removed, it treats the accredited installation as decommissioned.
- Tell the network operator. National Grid's connections page says a decommissioning form must be completed. Other operators have their own routes.
- Treat removal as construction work. The CDM 2015 definition includes removal of electrical services fixed to a structure, so the CDM client duties apply to whoever commissions it.
- Isolate first. Disconnected panels can still generate electricity, as the Environment Agency notes for treatment sites.
- Pack to avoid breakage. PV CYCLE UK asks for panels to be packed for transport on pallets or other packaging units.
- Get a collection quote that names the treatment site. For more than 30 panels, PV CYCLE UK starts with a request form and a quotation, with 80% payable before collection. Other schemes may differ.
- Use a registered carrier and keep the transfer note for 2 years with the maintenance records.
- Tell the insurer, so cover matches the roof after removal (the insurance page covers the install side).
An enquiry sent through this site's form can start a conversation about replacing or removing an array. It does not replace the contract and scheme checks above.
Sources
- GOV.UK: EEE covered by the WEEE Regulations, updated 12 August 2025, checked 22 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: B2C and B2B EEE and WEEE: how to correctly identify, updated 12 August 2025, checked 22 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk: WEEE Regulations 2013, regulation 11, regulation 12 and regulation 47, checked 22 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk: Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34, checked 22 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: Waste duty of care code of practice, updated 26 November 2018, checked 22 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: Dispose of business or commercial waste and Waste transfer notes, checked 22 October 2026.
- Environment Agency (GOV.UK): WEEE appropriate measures, section 4 and section 5, 13 July 2022, checked 22 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: WEEE evidence and national protocols guidance, updated 15 July 2026, and Environment Agency WEEE public registers, updated 8 October 2026, checked 22 October 2026.
- PV CYCLE UK: collection, fewer than 30 panels, more than 30 panels and recycling (that scheme's terms only), checked 22 October 2026.
- IEA PVPS Task 12: Advances in Photovoltaic Module Recycling, Third Update, April 2026, checked 22 October 2026.
- Ofgem: FIT generator guidance and FAQs, checked 22 October 2026.
- National Grid: Solar and wind connections (that operator only), checked 22 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk: CDM Regulations 2015, regulation 2, checked 22 October 2026.
Common questions
Can old solar panels go in general waste or a skip?
GOV.UK's code of practice says anyone dealing with waste must keep it safe, make sure it is dealt with responsibly and give it only to businesses authorised to take it. Panels are Category 14 WEEE, and Environment Agency rules for treatment sites require lead removal and careful handling. They should go to a registered carrier and an authorised treatment facility, with a waste transfer note.
Does the installer have to take the old panels away?
The regulations and GOV.UK pages used for this article put financing duties on producers and, for older equipment, on the final user. They do not make an installer responsible by default, so removal is a contract term. Ask for it in writing.
Are panels from a solar farm treated differently from rooftop panels?
For the producer reporting rule, no: GOV.UK says the household (B2C) classification includes panels in large scale solar farms or on commercial premises. One compliance scheme's terms treat quantities above 30 panels from professional installations and solar farms as billed at cost.