ACT Greens move to get solar panels and electrical waste out of landfill to strengthen the circular economy in Canberra

2021-06-23

The ACT Government will investigate recycling options for a range of household electrical appliances and solar panels after the passing of Jo Clay MLAs motion in the ACT Legislative Assembly this afternoon. 

Ms Clay’s motion, which passed this afternoon, calls on the ACT Government to:

  1. investigate recycling options for general electrical appliances, solar PV panels and inverters and large batteries that power EVs, buildings and grids. 
  2. confirm which of these items will be covered by a national product stewardship scheme commencing within the next 12 months (National Product Stewardship schemes mean that a producer or an industry pays for end-of-life recycling. This is a really good way to recycle, as it means the producers have an incentive to design easy-to-recover material and it also means they include the cost of recycling in the original purchase price.)
  3. advocate for collection and recycling for items not covered by a national product stewardship scheme 
  4. report back to the Assembly by February 2022 on options and a timeline for a recycling scheme for general electrical appliances, solar PV panels and inverters, and large batteries

The motion comes at a time when solar panel uptake in the ACT is at an all-time high. Jo Clay’s electorate of Ginninderra boasted the highest uptake of rooftop solar in 2019, however, recent reporting has found that  most solar panels end up in landfill despite being recyclable

Quotes attributed to Jo Clay MLA - ACT Greens member for Ginninderra and ACT Greens Spokesperson for Waste and Circular Economy

“This is a good complement to the established recycling scheme. At the moment TVs and computers are easily recycled in Canberra, but other electrical appliances aren’t. We need a recycling program that covers all electrical appliances, not just TVs and computers.

“We’re also switching to efficient electrical appliances to replace fossil fuel heaters and old inefficient appliances. This is great news, but we need to make sure we are recycling all of those old appliances.

“Green technology such as batteries and solar panels are made from precious materials such as lithium, nickel, silver and aluminium. Some of these resources are incredibly rare and if we don’t recover them, we will run out. 

“Mining new material has a big impact on our earth, which is why adequate recycling and recovery is essential for a smooth transition into a renewable future.

“The good news is that up to 95% of these materials are recyclable with the right system in place. But while Canberra appliances can be repaired, resold or rescued, most aren’t being recycled. The only recycling scheme we have for Ewaste is for computers and televisions, and that leaves a lot out.

“We need to make it simple to recycle solar panels, large batteries and electrical products. We have great recycling drop-off facilities and the Canberra community are really good recyclers. We should make it easy for the consumer to do the right thing. This is a measure that the planet desperately needs.”

“The Victorian Government banned solar panels and e-waste from landfill in July 2019 and are leading the way on this nationally.  

“This motion will pull the ACT in line with community expectations on recycling of electrical products. It is a necessary step in the ACT’s continued journey towards an environmentally sustainable future.”

Owners of The Green Shed, Sandy and Charlie Bigg-Wither supported Jo Clay’s motion and believe that reusing needs to be prioritised over recycling when it comes to electrical products. 

Quote attributed to Charlie  Bigg-Wither, CEO of The Green Shed

“We receive a large number of electrical appliances from Canberrans trying to do the right thing. Of course, if they are reusable we try to give them a second life, but we really need somewhere that specialises in recycling if we are unable to reuse and resell a product.”