Modern Waste Solutions provides professional solar panel recycling and solar equipment disposal services throughout California. We safely process decommissioned, damaged, surplus, and end-of-life solar panels in full compliance with environmental regulations.
As solar infrastructure ages, proper recycling is essential to prevent hazardous material exposure and ensure responsible recovery of valuable components.
Solar panels contain glass, aluminum, silicon, and trace materials that require structured handling at end of life. Improper disposal can:
A compliant solar panel recycling program in California ensures safe processing, material recovery, and documented disposal.
Our certified process ensures environmental responsibility and regulatory compliance from pickup to final processing.
We support both one-time cleanouts and large-scale commercial solar decommissioning projects.
We provide recycling services for:
If you're searching for solar panel disposal near you, we provide structured, compliant solutions for commercial clients.
We work with:
Our team understands the logistical and compliance requirements associated with large-scale solar decommissioning.
Modern Waste Solutions offers:
We ensure compliant transport and environmentally responsible processing throughout California.
Don't allow end-of-life solar equipment to become a compliance risk. Contact Modern Waste Solutions for professional solar panel recycling and disposal services in California.
This was our first time working with MWS and they were amazing! Quick response time, efficient, and friendly. Ivan was the team member who was on site for the pickup, and he was great. He worked quickly, is very knowledgeable, and is so kind. It was so easy working with him. We are looking forward to using MWS for our E-waste and Universal waste needs in the future. - Sacramento City College Sustainability
Sophie Wheeler
on Google
A little bit off the beaten track in Natomas, but Modern Waste quickly and efficiently helped me recycle my broken Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries at a reasonable $/lb fee (Sac county e-waste will not accept these items). Ramiro and Vincent were very friendly and helpful.
We had another vendor cancel on us last minute & Modern Waste jumped into action & was able to help us with ewaste & critical document shredding overnight. Team was helpful, professional & got the job done quickly & efficiently. We were able to complete an office move out/shut down in a day with their help! Highly recommend this business!
Thank You Gretchen! We are happy to make a difference.
Chris was awesome! He came in and picked up all of the e-waste we had ready for him. He was polite and professional throughout the entire process. He handled the equipment with care, including the site equipment that was already in place. I am very happy with his service and appreciate the great job he did.
I needed hard drives on some old laptops destroyed so any old personal information can't be stolen. The guys there were friendly and helpful and fast. Thanks Pavel and Vincent. Thanks Modern Waste for doing a helpful fast service to us.
We truly appreciate your generous review! 😊 It's fantastic to know our team was able to assist you with your hard drive destruction needs efficiently. We are so glad to hear you had a pleasing experience with us. Our door is always open for all your future recycling needs!
Solar panel recycling takes damaged, decommissioned, or end-of-life modules and separates them into materials that can be recovered: aluminum frames, glass, wiring, and silicon-bearing material. We also take the inverters, electrical components, and racking that come off the same site.
Before collection, panels are assessed by type, condition, and quantity so packaging and transport fit the load. Electrical isolation and removal from the array should be handled by qualified parties before we collect.
Commercial solar recycling fits anyone retiring panels in volume or on a project deadline:
Utility-scale operators and government projects use the same process for larger decommissioning jobs.
Retired panels take up yard and warehouse space, and a stack of broken modules is a handling hazard. A recycling program clears them on a schedule and sends the materials to recovery.
It also leaves you with a record of how many panels left the site and how they were processed, which asset owners and contractors can use for project closeout.
Recycling keeps retired panels out of the landfill and returns their materials to use. A panel is mostly glass and an aluminum frame, with silicon cells, wiring, and trace materials, and those are separated so the recoverable fractions can be recycled.
For a sustainability report, the useful part is the record: the quantity or weight of panels collected and confirmation that they were processed. We report environmental figures only when the agreed method and reliable material data support them. Keeping intact and damaged panels apart and recording model labels before stacking makes that record more accurate.
Ask where the panels go after pickup and how they are separated. A capable recycler can explain how frames, glass, cabling, and cells are recovered, and what happens to broken or fire-damaged modules.
Check that the company holds current management-system certificates with a stated scope and dates (ours are ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001), that it can move your volume, and what recycling documentation you receive. For a solar farm cleanout or a phased replacement, ask how pickups will be scheduled around the removal crew.
For a bulk project, have these details ready before you ask for a quote:
A preliminary count is fine. The point is to surface broken or unusual panels before pickup day, so we can plan trucks, loading, and packaging.
The service runs from collection planning to recycling records. A typical scope includes:
| Service element | Typical scope |
|---|---|
| Scope review | Panel type, condition, volume, location, access, and required records. |
| Collection planning | Packaging, pallets, loading method, pickup, and project schedule. |
| Processing | Dismantling and separation through the selected recycling path. |
| Material recovery | Recovery of eligible glass, frames, cable, and other fractions. |
| Documentation | Recycling records and project closeout information. |
We handle one-time cleanouts and large commercial decommissioning projects. Inverters, wiring, and mounting hardware can go in the same load as the panels.
Request a quote with the panel count or approximate weight, the make and model, their condition, and where they are stored. Photos of the pallets and labels help, especially if some modules are cracked or fire damaged.
List any inverters, racking, or other equipment you want in the same load, and describe access: loading dock, forklift, or ground-level lot. If the panels are still installed, schedule the electrical disconnection and removal with your installer first. We then confirm what we accept and set a pickup date that fits the project.
Price depends on how many panels you have, their weight and condition, how they are packaged, and how much loading labor and transport the job needs. Intact panels stacked on pallets are the simplest case. Broken or fire-damaged panels need a different handling plan, and loose panels that must be palletized on site add labor.
Distance and timing also count, since a stop on a commercial route and a dedicated trip are priced differently. Send photos, model labels, counts, and access details so the quote reflects the actual load.
Solar panel recycling follows our six-step process, adjusted for large, fragile modules.
Electrical disconnection and removal from the array should be done by qualified installers before collection.
We run commercial solar equipment recycling across California from our Sacramento facility, with scheduled bulk pickups, route-based service, and coordinated removal during renovation or demolition projects. Panels, inverters, wiring, and racking can go out in one load, and the same team handles material separation and documentation.
The work runs under our ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 management systems, and the quote confirms which panel types we accept and where they go. Asset owners and contractors end up with one clear record for project closeout.
You receive the recycling documentation agreed for the project: the quantities or weights collected, confirmation of processing, and a certificate of recycling. We add environmental impact figures only when the agreed reporting method and reliable material data support them, so any number you publish can be traced to a measurement.
List the document names and fields your team needs in the quote request, for example for a project closeout package or a sustainability report.