File:Cumulative and annual waste from solar PV panels and cumulative waste from solar PV panels in Australia.jpg

English: "Cumulative and annual waste from solar PV panels and cumulative waste from solar PV panels without glass cover and frame based on 80% of a panel's weight sits in the glass cover and frames based on 15 years of lifetime for a panel." "Considering an average lifetime of 15 years the annual PV panel waste volume is calculated to be about 75,000 tons by 2030. If calculated based on an average life time of 20 years, the waste volume will only reach about 35,000 tons per year by 2030, but will jump to almost 95,000 tons within only a few years, followed by significant increases in the waste volume of well above 100,000 tons per year from 2035 on. Eventually, the cumulative waste volume from solar panels in Australia will reach about 1.5 million tons by 2036 (Figure 1) and more than 2 million tons by 2040. However, even with a simple recycling step that removes the frame and glass cover, the waste volume can be significantly reduced (Figure 1). With almost three billion solar panels installed wordwide, the waste volume is estimated to reach more than 60 million tons world wide by 2035. To avoid such an unwanted waste legacy, robust end-of-life management legislation has to be created."