The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued draft guidelines for the collection and storage of waste from solar modules and cells.

Stakeholders can submit comments and suggestions to CPCB by June 25, 2025.

Solar waste refers to end-of-life solar modules or cells that are discarded whole or in part as waste. It includes rejects and waste generated during manufacturing, refurbishment, and repair processes.  It also covers solar modules that were damaged during transportation, handling, storage, and installation.

Under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, solar waste is categorized as electrical and electronic equipment waste. The rules place the onus of managing solar waste on the manufacturers of solar components. Manufacturers must store solar waste up to the end of the financial year 2035.

Collection

Manufacturers of solar cells and modules must devise a collection mechanism to collect waste from both individual and bulk consumers. They must publicize details about the collection points for solar waste or any take-back programs available.

Transportation of solar waste must be done in covered trucks and preferably in trucks authorized for the transportation of hazardous waste.

According to the CPCB, solar waste must not be disposed of or dumped in open areas, as it could release toxic chemicals into the environment. The solar waste must not be sold to unauthorised entities.

Storage

The solar waste must be stored safely to prevent breakage of the waste. It must be kept away from sharp objects that could damage the modules.

The storage facility must have at least 19.5 m3/ton of space.

Storage of solar waste must be carried out in a manner that allows for reuse after refurbishment, recycling, or recovery of materials.

The solar modules must be stored in a covered, dry, and ventilated area.

Storage racks or containers used for storing solar waste must be clearly labeled, indicating the type of waste they contain, to facilitate identification and sorting during recycling processes.

The stored solar waste must be periodically inspected and recorded to check for any damage.

The floor of the storage facility must be non-leachable, considering the leaching potentials of metals from solar waste such as antimony, cadmium, arsenic, lead, and selenium.

Solar modules that are part of solar waste must not be stacked in more than 20 layers or to a maximum height of 2 m above the ground.

The storage facility must be equipped with a fire protection system with adequate firefighting arrangements, an escape route for emergency exit, and an emergency response plan.

In December 2024, in response to a letter petition from a resident of Sapai village, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, the National Green Tribunal sought responses from multiple government agencies on a plea regarding the improper disposal and recycling of photovoltaic solar modules.

In May 2025, the Gujarat Energy Development Agency invited expressions of interest for a research study to recover valuable materials from solar and electronic waste. The project aims to assess the feasibility of material recovery methods and develop an implementation roadmap to aid Gujarat’s renewable energy and waste management sectors.