Comstock (NYSE: LODE) announced DTSC approval to treat photovoltaic modules at its newly opened Kings County, California facility, placing the company on a select list of authorized universal waste recyclers. The site will serve as a centralized hub for collection, storage and recycling of end-of-life solar panels across California.
Comstock said this expands its southwestern recycling network and that permit work and site selection for a second Nevada facility are underway.
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Positive
DTSC authorization to treat PV modules at Kings County, CA facility
New California hub established to serve the largest U.S. end-of-life solar market
Nevada expansion permit applications and final site selection expected later this month
$3.15
Last Close
Volume
Volume 2,055,536 is below 20-day average 2,974,270 (relative volume 0.69).
low
Technical
Price $3.15 is trading slightly below 200-day MA at $3.27, after a 5.35% daily gain.
LODE gained 5.35% while key peers were mixed: PLG up, PLL and LGO down, others flat. With only 1 peer in momentum and no broad alignment, the move appears stock-specific.
Date
Event
Sentiment
Move
Catalyst
Feb 11
Podcast spotlight
Positive
+0.7%
CEO featured on podcast discussing zero-landfill recycling and first facility.
Feb 09
Tax abatement win
Positive
+2.5%
Nevada tax abatements supporting first large-scale recycling facility buildout.
Jan 29
Business webinar
Neutral
-11.3%
Announcement of investor webinar on business and financial developments.
Jan 28
Equity offering priced
Negative
-1.9%
Pricing of public stock offering expected to raise about $50 million.
Jan 28
Offering proposed
Negative
-1.9%
Announcement of proposed underwritten common stock offering from shelf.
Pattern Detected
Stock reactions to news have mostly aligned with the tone of prior announcements, with one notable negative divergence on a neutral webinar update.
Recent Company History
Recent news shows Comstock advancing its zero-landfill solar recycling strategy. A Nevada tax abatement of about $900,000 for its Silver Springs facility and a $50.0 million equity raise supported expansion of industry-scale recycling and refining. Earlier, a proposed and then priced public offering modestly pressured shares, while a podcast feature on the recycling solution and business strategy saw a small positive reaction. One business update webinar coincided with a sharper -11.33% move, diverging from otherwise generally aligned price reactions to news.
$200,000,000
registered capacity
An effective shelf registration from Nov 21, 2025 allows Comstock to offer up to $200,000,000 in various securities, including up to $100,000,000 of common stock via an at-the-market program, with three prospectus supplements already filed. This provides pre-established capacity to raise capital in support of facility buildout and growth initiatives.
This announcement highlights DTSC approval for Comstock’s new California facility as a certified universal waste recycler for PV modules, strengthening a regional and national recycling network. It advances the company’s zero-landfill strategy for end-of-life solar panels and complements earlier steps like Nevada tax abatements and a $50.0 million capital raise for industry-scale buildout. Investors may watch execution at the California site, permitting and development of the planned Nevada facility, and any further use of the $200,000,000 shelf registration.
photovoltaic
technical
“universal waste recyclers that can treat photovoltaic (“PV”) modules”
Photovoltaic describes the technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using panels made of semiconductor materials; think of it like leaves turning sunlight into usable energy for a plant, but producing power for homes, factories and the grid. It matters to investors because photovoltaic systems represent assets, revenue sources, cost structures and regulatory exposure for energy and manufacturing companies, and their adoption rates and efficiency gains affect long-term profitability and market demand.
zero-landfill
technical
“the only certified, zero-landfill solar recycling solution in North America”
Zero-landfill is a company pledge to avoid sending any operational waste to municipal landfills by diverting materials through recycling, reuse, composting, or energy recovery. Think of it like a household committing to sort and repurpose everything so none goes to the dump; for investors, it signals lower regulatory and closure risk, potential cost savings or capital needs for waste systems, and reputational benefits that can affect sales and long-term value.
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
02/23/2026 – 06:15 AM
VIRGINIA CITY, Nev., Feb. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Comstock Inc. (NYSE: LODE) (“Comstock” or the “Company”) and its subsidiary, Comstock Metals LLC (“Comstock Metals”), a leader in the responsible recycling of end-of-life solar panels and the only certified, zero-landfill solar recycling solution in North America, today announced that following the opening of its facility in Kings County, CA, it has received approval from California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (“DTSC”) and has been placed on a very select list of companies authorized as universal waste recyclers that can treat photovoltaic (“PV”) modules. The recently opened facility in combination with this new “certification” now avails California companies with a true “California solution” for recycling end of life PV solar panels that is authorized by the DTSC and supported by several strategic customers.
This new California facility, and recent certification, marks a regional expansion and optimization of Comstock Metals’ southwestern recycling network, reinforcing the company’s commitment to serving high-demand California-based renewable energy customers. Strategically located to optimize logistics and support customers across California—the single largest end-of-life U.S. solar panel market by far—the site will operate as a centralized hub for the collection, preparation, storage, and aggregation of decommissioned PV solar panels.
As increasing numbers of solar panels reach the end of their useful life across California, Arizona and Nevada, demand is rapidly growing for compliant, environmentally responsible recycling solutions. The California facility is purpose-built to meet this need, providing major utilities, developers, engineering and construction firms (EPCs), installers, decommissioning contractors, and asset owners with a dependable, locally based option for managing these environmental liabilities. Through advanced recovery processes, valuable materials—including aluminum, silver, copper, gallium, and other metals—can eventually be extracted and returned to the supply chain for reuse.
“Opening a facility in California positions us to better serve the region’s increasing demand for end-of-life solar panel disposal while delivering a streamlined, cost-effective logistics solution for our customers,” said Dr. Fortunato Villamagna, President of Comstock Metals. “Our mission is to close the loop on solar energy by ensuring the environmental liabilities associated with these retired panels are safely, cleanly and completed eliminated so they do not find their way into landfills and ultimately, our natural water and broader eco-systems.”
By delivering timely, efficient, and fully compliant decommissioning, transportation, and recycling services, Comstock’s zero-landfill solution minimizes waste, preserves natural resources, and advances the long-term sustainability of the solar industry. The Company is also completing permit applications and preparing submission plans for a second, integrated, industry-scale facility in Nevada, with final site selection expected later this month.
“As the number of end-of-life solar panels nationwide rises into the tens and eventually hundreds of millions, our ability to scale responsibly and efficiently ensures meaningful sustainability outcomes—and confidence—for our customers and partners,” said Corrado De Gasperis, Executive Chairman and CEO of Comstock. “Our team is establishing a new benchmark for solar panel recycling through a growing, fully integrated national network.”
About Comstock Inc.
Comstock Inc. (NYSE: LODE) innovates and commercializes technologies, systems and supply chains that enable, support and sustain clean energy systems by efficiently, effectively, and expediently extracting and converting under-utilized natural resources into reusable metals, like silver, aluminum, gold, and other critical minerals, primarily from end-of-life photovoltaics. To learn more, please visit www.comstock.inc.
Comstock Social Media Policy
Comstock Inc. has used, and intends to continue using, its investor relations link and main website at www.comstock.inc in addition to its X.com, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts, as means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.
Contacts
For investor inquiries:
Judd B. Merrill, Chief Financial Officer
Tel (775) 413-6222
ir@comstockinc.com
For media inquiries:
Zach Spencer, Director of External Relations
Tel (775) 847-7573
media@comstockinc.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release and any related calls or discussions may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “plan,” “forecast,” “seek,” “target,” “should,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “potential” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of doing so. Forward-looking statements include statements about matters such as: expectations regarding the completion of the proposed securities offering, future market conditions; future explorations or acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs or similar distribution transactions; future changes in our research, development and exploration activities; future financial, natural, and social gains; future prices and sales of, and demand for, our products and services; land entitlements and uses; permits; production capacity and operations; operating and overhead costs; future capital expenditures and their impact on us; operational and management changes (including changes in the Board of Directors); changes in business strategies, planning and tactics; future employment and contributions of personnel, including consultants; future land and asset sales; investments, acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, business combinations, operational, tax, financial and restructuring initiatives, including the nature, timing and accounting for restructuring charges, derivative assets and liabilities and the impact thereof; contingencies; litigation, administrative or arbitration proceedings; environmental compliance and changes in the regulatory environment; offerings, limitations on sales or offering of equity or debt securities, including asset sales and associated costs; and future working capital needs, revenues, variable costs, throughput rates, operating expenses, debt levels, cash flows, margins, taxes and earnings. These statements are based on assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception of historical and current trends, current conditions, possible future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees, representations or warranties and are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond our control and could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Some of those risks and uncertainties include the risk factors set forth in our filings with the SEC and the following: sales of, and demand for, our products, services, and/or properties; industry market conditions, including the volatility and uncertainty of commodity prices; the speculative nature, costs, regulatory requirements, and hazards of natural waste resource identification, exploration, development, availability, recycling, extraction, processing, and refining activities, including operational or technical difficulties, and risks of diminishing quantities or insufficiency of grades of qualified resources;; changes in our planning, exploration, research and development, production, and operating activities; research and development, exploration, production, operating, and other variable and fixed costs; throughput rates, margins, earnings, debt levels, contingencies, taxes, capital expenditures, net cash flows, and growth; restructuring activities, including the nature and timing of restructuring charges and the impact thereof; employment and contributions of personnel, including our reliance on key management personnel; the costs and risks associated with developing new technologies; our ability to commercialize existing and new technologies; the impact of new, emerging, and competing technologies on our business; the possibility of one or more of the markets in which we compete being impacted by political, legal, and regulatory changes, or other external factors over which we have little or no control; the effects of mergers, consolidations, and unexpected announcements or developments from others; the impact of laws and regulations, including permitting and remediation requirements and costs; changes in or elimination of laws, regulations, tariffs, trade, or other controls or enforcement practices, including the potential that we may not be able to comply with applicable regulations; changes in generally accepted accounting principles; adverse effects of climate changes, natural disasters, and health epidemics, such as the COVID-19 outbreak; global economic and market uncertainties, changes in monetary or fiscal policies or regulations, the impact of terrorism and geopolitical events, volatility in commodity and/or other market prices, and interruptions in delivery of critical supplies, equipment and/or raw materials; assertion of claims, lawsuits, and proceedings against us; potential inability to satisfy debt and lease obligations, including because of limitations and restrictions contained in the instruments and agreements governing our indebtedness; our ability to raise additional capital and secure additional financing; interruptions in our production capabilities due to equipment failures or capital constraints; potential dilution from stock issuances, recapitalization, and balance sheet restructuring activities; potential inability or failure to timely file periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission; potential inability to maintain the listing of our securities on any securities exchange or market; and our ability to implement additional financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures and comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as amended. Occurrence of such events or circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, or the market price of our securities. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements by or attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Except as may be required by securities or other law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Neither this press release nor any related calls or discussions constitutes an offer to sell, the solicitation of an offer to buy or a recommendation with respect to any securities of the Company, the fund, or any other issuer.
FAQ
What did Comstock (LODE) announce on February 23, 2026 about its California facility?
Comstock received DTSC approval to treat PV modules at its Kings County, California facility. According to the company, this places the site on a select list of authorized universal waste recyclers and enables a local, compliant recycling option for California customers.
How will the DTSC approval affect Comstock (LODE) customers in California?
DTSC approval gives California customers a compliant, locally based PV recycling option. According to the company, the Kings County hub provides collection, storage, and aggregation services to utilities, EPCs, installers, and asset owners.
Does the Comstock (LODE) announcement mention materials recovered from recycled solar panels?
Yes. Comstock said recovered materials can include aluminum, silver, copper, gallium, and other metals. According to the company, advanced recovery processes aim to return these materials to the supply chain for reuse.
Is Comstock (LODE) planning additional recycling facilities after the California approval?
Comstock is completing permit applications and preparing plans for a second industry-scale facility in Nevada. According to the company, final site selection for the Nevada facility is expected later this month.
Why is the Kings County site strategically important for Comstock (LODE)?
The site is strategically located to optimize logistics across California, the largest U.S. end-of-life solar market. According to the company, the hub supports timely decommissioning, transportation, and zero-landfill recycling services for regional customers.
What does Comstock (LODE) say about the long-term need for solar panel recycling?
Comstock highlighted rapidly growing demand as panels reach end of life in California, Arizona, and Nevada. According to the company, scaling a national recycling network aims to ensure sustainable, responsible management of tens to hundreds of millions of retired panels.