According to Resource Recycling, solar panels "carry a high cost to recycle properly, have limited commodity value and contain hazardous metals. At the same time, relatively few downstream processors recycle them, and markets are working against reuse."
Now, solar panels are being compared to CRT. Well, what is a CRT? They are cathode-ray tubes. These contain leaded glass and were - once upon a time - used in vintage televisions.
Jared Paben, journalist, states, "Interviews with electronics and solar panel recycling industry experts shed light on the challenges the sector faces with photovoltaic modules, which have the potential to be stockpiled, dumped, abandoned, or illegally landfilled, just as CRTs have in a number of cases."
It has been reported that Sustainable Electronics Recycling International- a nonprofit group - is attempting to add solar panels "to its R2 e-scrap certification standard." And approximately 1,000 recycling centers that specifically round up electronics internationally are now certified with the R2 standard!
With the complications that recycling solar panels sometimes cause, more jobs are now being created in order to curb that issue. It's just a start, but a start nonetheless.