Electronics Recycling Program (Renewables) – Solar Panel Updates

On October 1, 2026, Alberta will launch Canada’s first formal solar recycling program. 

The recycling program emerged from a previous solar panel recycling pilot, directed by the Government of Alberta between 2022 and 2025, to study future waste streams with industry partners, the recycling industry, and communities.  

In August of 2024, the Government of Alberta (GoA) announced that it would be creating a renewables recycling program that encompasses solar panels. Since then, the GoA has led consultations and regulatory updates to facilitate the start of the program on October 1, 2026. In preparation for this launch, Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) hosted an information session in April 2026 to inform the solar industry about the environmental fee and ARMA’s plan to collect and recycle end-of-life solar panels. 

Timelines for implementation: 

• June 1, 2026: Notice to suppliers  

• June 1, 2026, onwards: Supplier registration 

• June 25, 2026: Registration Webinar Sessions at 10 am and 1:30 pm  

• • Register for Webinar 1 (10 am)
  • Register for Webinar 2 (1:30 pm)
  • Please note that both webinars will cover the same content. Multiple time slots have been offered for your convenience. 

• October 1, 2026, onwards: Program launch 

• • Environmental fee reporting & remittance 
  • Collection of end-of-life panels 

• 2027 onwards:  

• • Stakeholder engagement for reuse  
  • Investment partnership to build local recycling capacity 
•  

Registration: 

If ARMA has already contacted your business, you already have an account in ARMA Connect. Please do not create a new account.

Email electronics_renewables@albertarecycling.ca and provide:

• Business name
• Full name of the individual who will complete the registration
• Email address of the individual who will complete the registration

ARMA will send a password setup email to the provided email address. Follow the instructions in the email to activate your account and log in to ARMA Connect, where you can complete your registration application.

If ARMA has not previously contacted your business, please follow this link to create an account and access ARMA Connect.

Supplier Resources can be found here.

Solar Panel Environmental Fee (Eco-Fee): 

Starting October 1, 2026, the following materials will be included in the program with a corresponding $14 environmental fee: 

Crystalline Silicon (c-Si) Solar Panels 

• Monocrystalline Silicon 
• Polycrystalline Silicon 
• Perovskite-Silicon tandem 

Thin-Film Solar Panels  

• Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) 
• Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) 
• Amorphous Silicon (a-Si) 
• Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) 

This includes all panels used in residential, commercial, industrial, and utility use that are 1 square metre (m²) or larger.  

For more information, please contact the ARMA Registration Administration team at electronics_renewables@albertarecycling.ca or by phone at 1.888.999.8762. 

Frequently Asked Questions and Additional Resources:

• Operations and Registration Q&A  
• Learn more about the solar panel recycling pilot.

For questions about the Government of Alberta policies and regulations, please contact epa.recyclingregulation@gov.ab.ca

• Electronics (Renewables) -  Solar Panel Information Session Presentation