Guide for Reuse, Repair, Recycling, and Safe Disposal
for Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and the City of Palo Alto

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Solar Panels - Non-working

Household Hazardous Waste

This item should never be put in a curbside bin. For more information visit our household hazardous waste page.

Problem with your solar panels? Contact your installer or service provider for repair options. If the panels need to be replaced but still operate, donate for reuse or contact a reseller (ex. Habitat for Humanity). In California, DTSC lists Universal Waste Recyclers that treat Solar Panels (PV Modules). Note that some recyclers only accept from large private companies or government contracts - not from consumers. Solar Panel Handlers consolidate and then send them to recyclers. Many panels don't make it to recyclers due to the cost to recycle per panel; panels are most often transported to other states for recycling.

The California Product Stewardship Council's Solar Panel Stewardship hosts the most current links to policy, studies, and articles on solar panels. Considering solar? PG&E's Residential Guide to Solar Installation. Solar Permitting Guidebook (4th Edition). The California Energy Commission maintains a list of PV modules available by manufacturer and model number, and includes the hazardous content. Updates from E-Scrap and E-Reuse Conference.

Vendors

Vendor Address City Destination Disposal Method Notes
SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Assn.) 600 14th Street, NW
Suite 400
Washington DC Recycle Free Mail-in Online info. The National PV Recycling Program, founded in 2016, is a network of recycling and refurbishment providers that can provide end-of-life management services to solar and storage installers, project and system owners, developers, distributors and other parties. These organizations are capable of providing repair, refurbish, resale, and recycling services for PV modules, inverters and other solar equipment.
iFixit 1330 Monterey St San Luis Obisbo Repair Free Mail-in DIY repair instructions
FixIt Clinic (In-person & Virtual) Repair Free Mail-in Self-repair through the Global Fixers Server on Discord or through Zoom FixIt Clinics.
Recycle1234: E-Waste & Solar Panel Recycling Center 30311 Whipple Rd Union City Repair Drop-off for a Fee Drop off fee of $35 per working or non-working PV module for refurbishing or recycling.
Buttonwillow Landfill (Clean Harbors) 2500 West Lokern Road Buttonwillow Safe Disposal Drop-off for a Fee
We Recycle Solar 4742 N 24th St
Suite 300
Phoenix Safe Disposal Pick-up for a Fee Commercial quantity. Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, and assorted thin film PV cells; batteries; inverters; mounts and racks.
Safety Kleen (San Jose) 1147 N 10th Street San Jose Safe Disposal Pick-up for a Fee
Safety Kleen Systems (Rohnert Park) 5750 Commerce Blvd Rohnert Park Safe Disposal Pick-up for a Fee
Clean Management Environmental Group 915 Industrial Rd Walterboro Safe Disposal Pick-up for a Fee

Curbside Service

Bulky Pickup Note
Alameda
Contact ACI at (510) 483-1400 for a bulky pick-up.
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Albany
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Berkeley
Castro Valley Sanitary District
Separate and label good/working condition items for donation as part of your Bulky & Reuse Pick-up set out.
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Dublin
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Emeryville
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Fremont
Hayward
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Hayward (Oro Loma - L2)
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Livermore
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Newark
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Oakland
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Piedmont
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Pleasanton
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San Leandro
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San Leandro (Oro Loma - L3)
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San Lorenzo (Oro Loma)
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Unincorporated Oro Loma (L1)
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Union City

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