What we cover
Solar Industry Solutions
Compliance Solutions for Solar Industry
Photovoltaics is one of the main pillars of the energy transition and the race to reduce CO² emissions.
With new markets emerging, and big and mature ones taking off again, the solar industry is ramping up to meet the scale of the world’s climate and sustainability challenges.
Our solar industry solutions support this transition to a new, carbon-neutral and circular economy and help your company avoid the risks of being non-compliant.
We offer support all along the life cycle: from meeting your obligations when placing solar products onto the market to taking care of their end-of-life.
As a global specialist with a large international network, speak to one of our experts instead.
Services
How we can help you
PV recycling: let the sunshine
Any manufacturer, reseller or distributor of solar products is legally obliged to comply with extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations and ensure waste management for their end-of-life products.
The obligations include registration and reporting, as well as organising takeback and treatment solutions for discarded solar panels, inverters, and storage batteries.
We offer a vast range of services that enable our customers to fulfill their legal obligations globally in an easy and fully compliant way.
Want to take the next step towards full compliance and effective management of your resources?
Global support
ERP and Landbell Group can provide services in several countries
Fulfilling legal requirements
Registration, reporting, organising takeback and treatment solutions for discarded solar panels, inverters, and storage batteries
Enhancing circular economy initiatives
We are a leading provider of environmental and chemical compliance solutions with local expertise and global presence – we are experts in EPR, takeback, reuse, and recycling
Takeback solutions
Active recycling network of 300+ partners, our unique expertise is based on 15+ years managing international takeback and consultancy activities for end-of-life devices
Temperature exchange equipment /Cooling appliances
Refrigerators, freezers, automatic cold products delivery machines.
Products include fridges, freezers, and any appliances with refrigerating devices such as water coolers. Some appliances also contain refrigerant gases classified as Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) and hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) that are now banned.
These gases are captured and treated in ODS recovery plants. Cold appliance de-pollution entails a variety of processes: compressors are decontaminated to recover ODS and oils; insulating foam is treated to recover ODS; metals are salvaged and resold, and plastics can be reused for new products. Recovered oils and ODS are destroyed in a specialised treatment process.
Recycling process
1. Decontamination
2. Shredding
3. Separation
4. Foam decontamination
Recovered materials
Gas
Oil
Capacitator
Plastic
Ferrous Metal
Foam
Display equipment
Televisions, screens, LCD, pc monitors
Display equipment includes cathode ray tubes (“CRT” – found in old-style TV sets and computer monitors) and flat-screen TVs and computer monitors, such as plasma and liquid crystal displays (LCD).
Cathode ray tubes contain hazardous phosphor powder, leaded glass, copper, and other rare metals. These materials can be reused to make new products. Panel and funnel glass from the cathode ray tubes are also recovered. The coating on the funnel glass is removed and the glass is cleaned for new CRT manufacture.
Most LCD TVs use mercury lamps to light the screen. To remove the lamps, the appliance must be disassembled before processing the LCD screen. Research is currently being carried out to develop more effective, automated solutions.
Recycling process
1. Hand dismantling
2. Cathode ray tube separation (Pb, Ba)
3. Crushing and metal removal
4. Glass cleaning
Recovered materials
Ferrous Metal
Foam
Monitor body and electronics
Circuit Board
Leaded glass
Unleaded glass
Small Domestic Appliances
Vacuum cleaners, appliances for sewing, irons, toasters, electric knives, hairdryers, radio sets, electrical and electronic toys, luminaires;
This is the most complicated WEEE stream as a wide variety of materials can be recovered: wood, metal, plastic, glass, and cardboard.
This category includes appliances for cleaning (e.g. vacuum cleaners, carpet sweepers, etc.), appliances used for sewing, knitting, weaving and other processing for textiles, irons and other appliances for ironing, mangling and other care of clothing, toasters, fryers, grinders, coffee machines and equipment for opening or sealing containers or packages, electric knives, appliances for hair cutting, hair drying, tooth brushing, shaving, massage and other body care appliances, clocks, watches and equipment to measure, indicate or registering time, etc.
These appliances are shredded, and plastics are separated from metals. Initial decontamination includes the removal of ink toners, cartridges, batteries, and cables.
Recycling process
1. Manual pretreatment
2. Crushing
3. Picking station
4. Shredding
5. Separation
Recovered materials
Cables
Waste
Plastic
Fine materials
Ferrous Metal
Non-Ferrous Metal
Individual Components
Lamps
straight fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, low-pressure sodium lamps, LED lamps.
This category includes fluorescent tubes and low-energy light bulbs, also known as compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), while old-style filament light bulbs and halogen lights are not categorised as WEEE.
Lamps are crushed and washed or treated in pressurised containers. Specialised machines are used to remove hazardous mercury and phosphor. Then, the remaining material is sorted into glass, metals, and plastics.
Phosphor powder and recovered mercury can be re-used to make new lamps. The crushed glass can be used for furnace linings or, if pure enough, to make new lamps. Aluminium end caps are smelted, and other metals are recycled.
Recycling process
1. Shredding
2. Separation
3. Dust recovery
Recovered materials
Ferrous Metal
Non-Ferrous Metal
Mercury
PV panels
Silicon-based PV panels require normal flat glass treatment and no special removal of the semiconductor layer.
Non-silicon-based PV panels require special semiconductor removal technology and isolation of toxic heavy metals.
Recycling process
1. Remove cables, plug and semiconductor
2. Separate aluminium and glass from the PV module
3. Remove labels
4. Reuse or recycle the EVA film and recover chemical elements such as cadmium and selenium
5. Separate into fractions
(EVA film, Aluminium, Wafer, Cable and plastic plug, Semiconductor, Glass)
6. Recycle the glass fraction in a smelter
Recovered materials
Leaded glass
Individual Components
Plastic
Unleaded glass
Cables
Metal
Cadmium
IT Equipment
Small IT and telecommunication equipment (no external dimension more than 50 cm):
EEE that is not allocated to categories 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.
Information equipment is equipment that can be used for collecting, transmitting, processing, storing and showing information. Telecommunication equipment is equipment designed to transmit signals – voice, video and data – electronically over a certain distance.
The determination of dimensions is the same as for category 5. If then the equipment is IT or telecommunication equipment it meets the definition of category 6.
Mobile phones (smartphones, phablets etc.), GPS and navigation equipment, Pocket calculators, Routers, Personal computers, Printers, Telephones.
Reuse process
1. Inspection
2. Cleaning
3. Data Sanitation
4. Repair
Recycling process
1. Decontamination
2. Shredding
3. Separation
Recovered materials
Cables
Screens
Capacitors
Plastics
Metals
Batteries
Circuit boards