"From Next Year, 727 KRW per 1kg Charged for Violations of Mandatory Solar Panel Recycling"

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Ahead of the introduction of the producer responsibility recycling system for solar photovoltaic (PV) waste panels on January 1 next year, manufacturers and importers who fail to fulfill recycling obligations are expected to be charged a recycling unit cost of 727 KRW per kilogram, and sellers who fail to fulfill collection obligations will be charged 94 KRW per kilogram.

The Ministry of Environment announced on the 3rd that it will publicly notify for 40 days starting from the 4th a partial amendment to three subordinate laws in the resource circulation sector, including the "Enforcement Decree of the Act on Resource Circulation of Electrical and Electronic Products and Automobiles," which contains these details.

Accordingly, solar PV panels will be classified as a separate item considering differences from the existing 51 types of electrical and electronic products subject to recycling obligations, manufacturers/importers, average usage years, and disposal emission routes, and recycling and collection obligation quantities will be calculated separately.

Manufacturers or importers who fail to fulfill recycling obligations or sellers who fail to fulfill collection obligations will be charged recycling fees or collection fees. The fee calculation method is to multiply the shortfall amount by the standard cost (recycling/collection unit cost * calculation index) and add a surcharge amount (15?30%).

The Ministry of Environment plans to implement the producer responsibility recycling system without fail so that the expected increase in solar PV waste panels in the future will not be simply incinerated or landfilled but valuable materials can be recovered and recycled.

Solar PV panels began to be installed nationwide from the early 2000s, and the demand for waste panel disposal is expected to surge as their lifespan (20?25 years) expires. According to estimates by the Korea Photovoltaic Industry Association, solar PV waste panels are expected to amount to 988 tons in 2023, 1,223 tons in 2025, 2,645 tons in 2027, 6,094 tons in 2030, and approximately 28,153 tons in 2033.

Meanwhile, to promote the use of recycled raw materials from waste plastics, the scope of recycling obligation reductions for manufacturers and importers of electrical and electronic products will be significantly expanded. Currently, recycling obligation reductions are recognized only when recycled plastic raw materials from waste electrical and electronic products are used in manufacturing electrical and electronic products, but going forward, the use of all recycled plastic raw materials from waste automobiles, waste household goods, and others will also be included in the scope of recycling obligation reductions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.