Greek company Katheris S.A has announced, via an Instagram post, that it has installed Greece's first solar panel recycling machine unit in Heraklion, Crete.
This is part of an effort to address the issue of photovoltaic (PV) waste, which are the discarded solar panels once they reach the end of their life cycle that contain toxic heavy metals.
According to Balkan Green Energy News, photovoltaic waste is expected to reach 4% to 14% of total electricity production capacity by 2030 and rise to as much as 60 to 80 million tons by 2050.
According to their Instagram, Katheris' solar recycling unit goes through a process of the panels entering the unit, becoming carefully shredded, and separating glass, aluminium and ammunition.
Katheris S.A, who have been active in Crete since 1979 in the sector of metal recycling, aims to prevent the harmful effects of landfilling by recovering valuable materials, while contributing to the development of a sustainable recycling market in the region. Their website states that their aim "is to initiate the public into the mentality of recycling, to sensitise our fellow citizens and to make recycling and the protection of the environment a way of life".
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