A P U B LI C AT I O N B Y T H E C A M D E N CO U N T Y B OA R D O F CO M M I S S I O N E R S
Camden County is Blooming
pg 7
15 Food Waste Reduction Strategies
pg 9
New Link Trail Update
pg 12
New Solar Panel Recycling Initiative Comes to Camden County
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arlier this year, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection approved a Research and Development Project for convenient recycling of End-of-Life (EOL) solar panels. We anticipate a significant number of solar panels will reach their end of life in the coming years, and sustainably managing these panels will benefit the solid waste industry and consumers. Currently, managing EOL solar panels is confusing, expensive and inconvenient, because they are classified as hazardous waste. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) recognizes that consumers need easier, more cost-effective options for disposing of solar panels, particularly since people purchase them to reduce their monthly energy costs and fossil fuel consumption. New technologies are evolving rapidly, and require disposal methods that won’t burden consumers with significant additional expense.
This is why we are excited to inform you that Thanks for Being Green, a Camden County Class D Recycler located in Pennsauken Township, is one of only a few facilities across the state approved to accept this sensitive material. There will still be a disposal fee, but we expect that both convenience and cost will be significantly reduced compared to the cost of disposal as hazardous waste. We are hopeful that in the future, the State will designate EOL solar panels as Universal Waste, which could provide even more convenient and cost-effective ways to manage EOL solar panels. If the NJ Legislature updated the Electronic Waste Management Act to include solar panels as a covered electronic waste, all authorized electronics recyclers could accept solar panels free of charge from NJ residents. For the time being, this research and development project is the best way to develop better practices for managing this evolving waste stream.