KUALA LUMPUR (July 30): Better guidelines for managing the country’s solar panel waste are expected to be ready by next year, said Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

He said the guidelines would be developed based on existing regulations and the latest technological advancements.

“The process [of drawing up these guidelines] has already begun, and we hope it will be ready by next year to serve as a reference for the industry,” he said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Negara on Tuesday.

He was responding to Senator Noorita Sual’s question about the ministry’s latest policy for disposing of and recycling solar panel waste, and its latest measures to overcome this problem.

Nik Nazmi further said that so far, the Department of Environment had licensed 17 facilities to recover solar panel waste in the country, namely four in Selangor, seven in Penang, two each in Negeri Sembilan and Johor, and one each in Perak and Sarawak.

These facilities are capable of recovering solar panel waste to produce high-value metals, including cadmium and selenium, he added.

He said the ministry is also committed to promoting and encouraging the circular economy concept through various initiatives in order to tackle global challenges such as environmental pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change.

“Among the measures we plan to introduce is the ‘buy-back’ principle or specialised and centralised collection and recovery centres for solar panels and the ‘extended product responsibility’ requirement because we understand the challenges in managing solar panel waste.

“Therefore, solar panel manufacturers have a responsibility to manage solar waste properly. This principle is similar to those being considered for managing plastic waste and others,” he said. 

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