Solar recycling inquiry hearing set for 3 August 2026

A public hearing on solar recycling will take place in Canberra on Monday, 3 August 2026, as federal MPs examine how Australia handles solar panels at the end of their working lives.

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water will run the hearing from 9:00am to 2:00pm AEST. It will meet in Committee Room 1R4 at Parliament House, Canberra, and online audio will also be available.

Senator the Hon Murray Watt, Minister for the Environment and Water, referred the inquiry into solar panel reuse and recycling on 19 January 2026.

According to the committee, the inquiry will examine the growing volume of end-of-life solar panels and the chance to build a circular economy through reuse, recycling and the recovery of valuable materials.

Committee chair Ms Anne Urquhart MP said, “the Committee will examine how Australia can manage the increasing volume of solar panels reaching the end of their lives, while capturing the environmental and economic benefits of reusing and recycling valuable materials”.

Anne Urquhart outlines barriers

Ms Urquhart identified four barriers for the inquiry: high recycling costs compared with landfill disposal, no national product stewardship scheme, inconsistent rules across jurisdictions, and difficulty attracting investment in recycling infrastructure.

She also pointed to a price gap between recycling and landfill as a key issue on 3 August 2026, because that gap can make dumping panels cheaper than processing them.

The witness list includes Professor Andrew Blakers, the Australian Local Government Association, Circular PV Alliance, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Environmental Solar Recycling Australia, the Australian Aluminium Council and Tindo Solar.

Those organisations bring evidence from research, local government, manufacturing, recycling and heavy industry to the Canberra hearing.

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live from 9:00am AEST on 3 August 2026.

Further information, including the terms of reference, appears on the committee website, which also carries submissions, details of upcoming public hearings and a Track Committee email alert service.