Greg Smith
TAKING ON THE SOLAR CHALLENGE
Greg Smith and his team are on a mission to tackle some of the most complex recycling challenges around.
CSG Recovery, which operates from a site in Blackburn, specialises in taking products made from mixed materials and breaking them down into recyclable components.
The business is now aiming to stop the potential mountain of discarded solar panels going to landfill by launching a specialist service that will recycle 96 per cent of every unit.
Greg, technical manager at CSG Recovery, explains that with millions of first-generation photovoltaic (PV) solar panels coming to the end of their useful life, there is an urgent need for more recycling facilities so they do not end up in landfill.
He says: “Solar panels have a shelf life of around 25 years so we are starting to see those originally installed around the year 2000 coming to the end of their cycle.
“There are not many companies providing a recycling service but it is a waste stream that is coming and there will be a lot of solar panels needing to be replaced, particularly those from large solar farms.”
About 13,000 PV panels are fitted in the UK every month and the International Renewable Energy Agency has warned if growth trends continue, the number of scrap solar panels could be significant.
It estimates that by 2030 there could be four million tonnes of discarded solar panels, which could grow to more than 200 million tonnes globally by 2050.
Greg says: “We believe we can recycle around 96 per cent of each panel because the aluminium frame can be stripped, broken down and reformed into new aluminium, which could be re-used for new solar panels.
“The silicon glass sheet can be smashed or shredded and re-used, possibly for new solar panels again.
“The panel itself contains precious metals including silver and copper. We have expertise in using specialist technologies to extract these materials having worked in the photographic industry for many years, where we extract silver from film.”
The most difficult material to recycle in solar panels is the film coating on the panel, which contains plastic. “If we get the process right there is no reason why solar panels need to end up in landfill,” he adds.
CSG Recovery, part of the national CSG Group, demonstrated its environmental credentials in 2022, when its Blackburn facility became a zero waste to landfill site, just three years after acquiring the facility.
The company specialises in the processing and recovery of complex or hazardous waste - including aerosols, oily rag by-products from industrial customers and clinical and photographic waste - from businesses operating in a range of sectors including healthcare.
With facilities also in Prescot on Merseyside and Cadishead in Greater Manchester, CSG is renowned for its work in silver recovery projects, collecting photographic solutions to extract the silver content through a chemical process - also used for X-rays and dental images - with the silver bars recycled back into the market.
It also collects waste containing precious metals as part of a ‘Trans-Frontier Shipment’ operation, with the materials transported to Europe for recovery by extracting.
CSG Group employs more than 500 people nationally, supporting a network of waste treatment and recovery centres. It recently posted £100m turnover for the first time.
Greg says the Blackburn operation, with its highly experienced team, is “going from strength to strength”.
As well as its solar panel drive, the business is calling for action on vape manufacturing. It believes vape makers must do more to improve the recyclability of their products
Greg says the devices are difficult to recycle and are potentially harmful to the environment if not disposed of correctly.
He says: “As one of the country’s leaders in complex waste, we receive thousands of used vapes every week, primarily from manufacturers that are offering a take-back scheme to their customers.
“The problem with vapes is the mix of hazardous materials. There’s the highly toxic nicotine, the electronic waste in the circuit board and the lithium battery, as well as the cardboard and plastic associated with the product.
“All of these parts, hazardous though they are, can be recycled and used again – but only if they can be safely separated into their individual components.
“This is where the manufacturers need to take more responsibility. They need to create products that can be effectively and economically broken down. On many of these devices, particularly the cheaper ones, all the components are crudely glued together.”
Greg says the biggest challenge is removing any lingering solvent liquid nicotine from the vape. If it can be extracted, it can be processed and used to create energy.
Plastics from the vape can then be granulised and made into new plastic, while the electronic components can also be reused. If the nicotine cannot be removed then the entire vape device must be incinerated, which creates energy but also emits carbon dioxide.
Greg says: “The popularity of vapes is showing no sign of decreasing so we need to limit their impact on the planet as soon as possible.”
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CIRCULAR ECONOMY
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