Four months on, eight solar recycling companies have written to several ministers to urge the government to lift the suspension.<\/p>\n
Their concerns follow the government\u2019s recent decision to shelve plans<\/a> for mandatory national packaging standards.<\/p>\n The companies said the prolonged delay threatened the financial viability of operators in the emerging solar recycling industry and hindered Australia\u2019s ability to recover \u201chigh-purity critical materials\u201d.<\/p>\n They wrote \u201cevery month of delay exacerbates the volume of solar waste entering landfills, damaging public trust in renewable energy infrastructure\u201d.<\/p>\n James Petesic, one of the letter\u2019s signatories, is the co-founder of solar panel recycler PV Industries, which has facilities in Sydney and Melbourne.<\/p>\n He said there had been little communication or clarity about the pilot\u2019s future since the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water suspended the procurement process in May.<\/p>\n Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe more time goes on, the more panels are coming off roofs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd \u2026 the more we risk losing recycling capacity because more businesses will go into administration.\u201d<\/p>\n Petesic said the ongoing delay was affecting investor certainty in the industry.<\/p>\n The letter urges the government to use a public interest provision in procurement laws to lift the suspension, so that the pilot can still progress while the complaint is investigated.<\/p>\n Petesic said one of the biggest issues for the nascent industry was supply of solar panels. About one in three Australians have rooftop solar but most rooftop panels are not recycled at the end of their life.<\/p>\n Recyclers have struggled to secure enough panels, with many ending up in landfill or waste stockpiles. Victoria is the only state with an outright ban on solar panels going to rubbish dumps, though some landfill sites in other jurisdictions also refuse to accept them.<\/p>\n
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