Green Economy Journal Issue 61

WASTE
Responsible
ACTIONS TODAY
will
Solar panel
and battery waste
SAFEGUARD
TOMORROW
Looking back, 2023 will undoubtedly go down in history as the year that South Africa’s
corporate and civil society went solar in a way never seen before. To avoid the crippling effect
of loadshedding, hundreds of thousands of individuals and companies recently opted to invest
in solar panels.
According to a recent BusinessTech report, South Africa’s imports
of solar panels increased thrice from the previous quarter to
an all-time high of R3.6-billion in the first quarter of 2023.
“While this is good news for renewable energy, we also need to
think about the long-term implications that even this ‘green energy’
will have on the environment,” cautions Dr Mark Williams-Wynn, KZN
branch committee member of the Institute of Waste Management of
Southern Africa (IWMSA). “In the coming years, we will have to deal
with the recycling of millions of solar panels and batteries that are
currently being imported into South Africa.”
The challenge: millions of discarded panels and batteries
Williams-Wynn says there’s now an estimate of between 20-million
and 25-million solar panels in the country after the recent influx.
Most have an expected lifespan of about 20 years and according to
Williams-Wynn, South Africa should be ready for mass recycling in
about 10 to 15 years’ time. “That is when we will see thousands of
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panels having to be replaced with new ones, and when recycling the
old products correctly will become critically important.”
He explains that one of the challenges with solar panel waste is that
they are banned from landfills, as they are potentially hazardous to
both human and environmental health. “We need to adopt alternative
waste management solutions, such as recycling, refurbishing and
repairing, or reusing them in lower-demand applications,” he continues,
adding that emphasis needs to be placed on the waste management
of the batteries used in solar systems as well.
“I believe this to be the bigger challenge,” Williams-Wynn warns.
“The batteries in household solar panels are lithium iron phosphate
batteries, also known as lithium ferrophosphate (LFP) batteries. The
only material in this battery that has some value when recovered is
lithium. The iron and phosphate is of such low value that it’s not really
economically viable to try and recover them.”
Furthermore, the product is highly flammable. “And once that fire
starts, it is self-sustaining,” he warns. “They don’t need oxygen to
burn, and even when smothering burning batteries with foam they
can continue to burn.”
The solution: adherence and power of the customer’s voice
The success or failure of South Africa’s solar waste story will depend
on how responsibly we operate in the here and now, Williams-
Wynn notes.
“The methods for properly disposing of and recycling panels and
batteries are constantly developing and improving – but if we do
nothing now, we could face a catastrophe later.
There is simply not enough adherence to the Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR) regulations which took effect in 2021 and hold
producers (which includes manufacturers, importers, distributors and
retailers) accountable for the end-of-life management of their products,”
he says. “There are many reasons for this, including expenses, control
READ REPORT
A CALL TO ACTION
The rapid worldwide adoption of technology has undeniably delivered
various advantages. However, it has also ushered in a troubling
increase in the unlawful disposal of electronic waste (e-waste).
This trend not only inflicts damage upon the environment but also
exposes communities to serious health hazards.
The producer responsibility organisation (PRO) Circular Energy is
taking a strong stance against this growing issue and is calling on
government, industries and consumers to collaborate in eradicating
illegal e-waste dumping.
Consumer behaviour crucial
E-wasted, is a complex issue, exacerbated by the hazardous components
within these items. Improper disposal techniques used in illegal
e-waste dumping frequently have negative effects on the environment
and human health.
Patricia Schröder, spokesperson for Circular Energy emphasises
that illegal e-waste dumping has far-reaching implications. “It poses
a threat to the health of communities that are already susceptible.
It also contaminates soil, water and air. To deal with this threat, fast
action is required. For instance, government and businesses can
work together to close regulatory gaps and impose severe fines on
those responsible for illicit e-waste dumping. This will send a clear
message that these actions will not be tolerated.”
THOUGHT [ECO]NOMY
greeneconomy/report recycle
WASTE
One of the challenges with solar panel waste
is that they are banned from landfills.
NATIONAL WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY | Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the
Environment | [2020]
and enforcement, but in the end, the environment suffers – and it will
be everyone’s problem in future.”
According to Williams-Wynn, both the public and solar installers
can change things.
“Customers often don’t realise the collective power that they have.
To ensure that our solar and battery producers are complying with the
EPR regulations, we must all exert pressure on them. If that happens,
South Africa will be equipped and ready when the solar waste wave
strikes in a few years.”
According to Schröder, consumer behaviour also plays a pivotal
role in combating the issue. “Our choices as consumers hold immense
power. By disposing of our electrical and electronic products
responsibly, we can create a shift towards responsible recycling and
discourage illegal dumping.”
Proper disposal
To facilitate responsible disposal, Circular Energy has partnered with
Woolworths to establish drop-off points across the country (a list of
which can be viewed here).
“This initiative aims to make it easier for consumers to dispose of
these items properly,” Schröder explains. “By utilising these drop-off
points, consumers can contribute to responsible waste management
and help prevent the escalation of illegal e-waste dumping.” To
make matters even easier, consumers can also request collection
through Circular Energy’s website, ensuring that responsible disposal
is within everyone’s reach.
“This service empowers consumers to be part of the solution
without compromising convenience,” she concludes. “For instance,
we recently received a call from a concerned citizen, informing us
of illegally dumped fluorescent tubes in a roadside rubbish bin in
Gauteng. Our team responded swiftly to remove these tubes and
recycled them in a responsible manner.”
How a country manages its waste is a fundamental indicator of the extent to which that society is
functional and being managed in a sustainable manner, and the implementation of this strategy must
have a positive impact on the lives of all South Africans through shared socio-economic development.
The National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) provides government policy and strategic
interventions for the waste sector and is aligned and responsive to the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) of Agenda 2030 adopted by all United Nations member states. It is also aligned and responsive
to South Africa’s National Development Plan: Vision 2030 which is our country’s specific response to,
and integration of the SDGs into our overall socio-economic development plans.
The 2020 strategy has the concept of the circular economy at its centre. The circular economy is
an approach to minimising the environmental impact of economic activity by reusing and recycling
processed materials to minimise: (a) the need to extract raw materials from the environment; and (b)
the need to dispose of waste.
The circular economy is built on innovation and the adoption of new approaches and techniques
in product design, production, packaging and use – industrial symbiosis, for instance, is a way of
preventing waste in industrial production by redirecting waste from one production process to serve
as raw materials for another production process.
The strategy comes at a time when there is growing knowledge and awareness of the environmental
consequences of human activity in relation to the climate and environmental pollution. The widespread
impact of plastic packaging on our coasts, rivers and wetlands is a cause for great concern. – Minister
Barbara Creecy, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
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