Climate Change Committee to examine the state of solar panel reuse and recycling in Australia

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water will hold a public hearing on Monday, 3 August 2026 as part of its inquiry into solar panel reuse and recycling. The inquiry was referred on 19 January 2026 by the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator the Hon Murray Watt.

The Committee will hear from industry representatives, recycling businesses and local government about the growing challenge of managing end-of-life solar panels, and the opportunities to build a circular economy that supports reuse, recycling and the recovery of valuable materials.

Committee Chair, Ms Anne Urquhart MP, said “the Committee will examine how Australia can manage the increasing volume of solar panels reaching the end of their lives, while capturing the environmental and economic benefits of reusing and recycling valuable materials”.

“We are interested in hearing evidence on the barriers currently facing the sector, including the high cost of recycling compared to landfill disposal, the absence of a national product stewardship scheme, inconsistent regulations across jurisdictions, and the challenges of attracting investment in recycling infrastructure,” Ms Urquhart said.

Public hearing details:

Date:               Monday, 3 August 2026
Time:               9:00am to 2:00pm AEST (Canberra)
Location:         Committee Room 1R4, Parliament House, Canberra and online (audio only).

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

The Committee will hear evidence from:

• Professor Andrew Blakers
• Australian Local Government Association
• Circular PV Alliance
• Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
• Environmental Solar Recycling Australia
• Australian Aluminium Council
• Tindo Solar

Further information, including the terms of reference, can be found on the Committee’s website.

Media inquiries

Ms Anne Urquhart MP, Chair
Bronwyn Taylor
0429 706 608

For background information

Committee Secretariat
(02) 6277 4580
[email protected]

For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to the inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.