A new worry: After lights out, solar panel waste can be hazardous

BENGALURU: While the Karnataka State Government is promoting green energy, little or no thought has been given to handling solar panel waste. Now, used solar panels are dumped in landfills and are treated as regular waste. Recyclers too hesitate to recycle the panels, with the production cost of new panels coming down drastically over the last few years. Environmentalists point out that solar module waste is not covered under the current solid waste management rules policies, which may lead to big environmental concerns later.