SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/solar-recycle-cost
Per the Department of Energy, how does recycling a solar panel usually cost compared with landfilling it?
Recycling usually costs more than landfilling in the US.
- Recycling generally costs more than landfill disposal ✔
- Recycling costs far less than landfill disposal
- The two cost about exactly the same
Why: DOE says the total cost of recycling is still generally greater than the cost of landfilling. That cost gap limits how many panels get recycled today.
Huh, didn't know that: DOE, citing an IEA 2025 report, says about 70% of solar energy systems have been installed since 2019.
Why did the can crusher quit his job? Because it was soda-pressing.
Like this card?
References
Answer: Recycling generally costs more than landfill disposal. DOE says the total cost of recycling is still generally greater than the cost of landfilling. That cost gap limits how many panels get recycled today.
- DOE: End-of-Life Management for Solar Photovoltaics www.energy.gov/eere/solar/end-life-management-solar-photovoltaics
in the United States, the total cost of recycling is still generally greater than the cost of disposing them in a landfill
Checked 2026-10-10.
Think this answer is wrong? Tap "Challenge this answer" on the card in the game and tell us why.
More stuff everyone should know
Home & YardWhile installing or servicing solar panels, what does OSHA say employers should have workers do to the panels?Home & YardBesides cutting output, what problem can uneven dirt like bird droppings cause on solar panels?Home & YardNREL says snow tends to slide off solar arrays tilted more than about how many degrees?
That's stuff everyone should know.