Frequently Asked Questions

We accept all sizes and types of solar panels, including Cylindrical, Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, Thin Film, Bifacial, Concentrator (CPV), and Double Glass. We accept all makes and models, including First Solar and other thin-film panel manufacturers.

Our recycling facility in Silver Springs, Nevada serves the U.S., and we accept panels from large-scale utilities, manufacturers, solar waste collectors, and solar project owners.

We prioritize exceedingly safe and compliant handling and transportation from each solar site to our recycling facility in Nevada. Our team organizes and oversees all shipments and provides all the requisite documentation to meet environmental and compliance reporting requirements.

We provide decommissioning, removal, collection, banding, palletization, loading, transportation, logistics, site-restoration, and chain of command reporting. 

• Safely and compliantly eliminates 100% of the heavy metal contaminants that stick to plastics and plastics before material separation.

• Prevents toxic contamination from heavy metals that can persist in other recycling processes and limit offtake reusability, or pose health/environmental risks.   

• Is R2v3/RIOS Certified, the first in North America to earn this advanced protocol certification. 

• Aluminum Flakes → sent to conventional aluminum recyclers.  

• Glass Pearls → repurposed by conventional glass recyclers.  

• Metal Tailings → processed by smelters for critical metal recovery or used as industrial additives. 
  

End-of-life solar panels come from multiple sources, including:

• Removing or upgrading solar panel systems  

• Installation breakage  

• Regular maintenance and damage replacements  

• Natural disasters or extreme weather events
• Repowering

Yes, Comstock Metals has a dedicated and experienced logistics team who will assist you and your on-site teams throughout the job, from Bill of Lading through to Certificate of Destruction.

• Per Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 22, § 66273.35 - Accumulation Time Limits, a universal waste handler shall accumulate universal waste for no longer than one year from the date the universal waste was generated 

• If you are approaching a year, and wish to recycle your panels, don't wait! Get in touch and we can help you to compliantly remove them from your site and ship them to us.  

We serve customers throughout the U.S. and we accept panels from utility-scale solar project owners, O&M service providers, and collector consultants. 

Every solar panel we receive is fully recycled. No part of a solar panel goes to landfills, we do not generate process waste, and we do not resell, repair, or refurbish any solar panels, because they are often sent to economically distressed areas of the world without sufficient recycling infrastructure.   

• We eliminate legacy liability from residual heavy metal contamination which can stick to plastics. We offer complete, safe delamination, which eliminates adhesives, plastics, encapsulants, and metal contaminants.
• We recover 100% of metal and glass materials. 
• Our three offtake streams (aluminum flakes, glass pearls, and metal tailings) are able to be reintroduced safely into various industrial manufacturing. processes to strengthen critical material supply chains.
• Our aluminum flakes and glass pearls are dust-free and plastic and metal-free.
• Our metal tailings are dust-free and plastic and metal-free and contain all the metallurgical components used in the solar panel solder and photovoltaic cells.
• We certify that no solar panel, material, or component will go to a landfill or adversely affect the environment.

And we offer full traceability for every panel we recycle, their cumulative weight, the respective offtake streams in each shipment, and where it gets repurposed into.

• We charge up-front tipping fees based on customer waste volume. 

• Costs for decommissioning (including transport) are based on the site-specific project (location, scope, volume, labor, and time). 

• We offer exclusive recycling provider agreements for utility-scale solar project owners based on their unique needs.