Comstock Metals signs solar recycling agreement with Illuminate USA

Two companies in the solar industry have teamed up to deal with waste from panel manufacturing. Comstock Metals, based in Nevada, will handle transport, sorting, and recycling of manufacturing byproducts from Illuminate USA's solar panel factory in Pataskala, Ohio. That plant, which opened in February 2024, is described as the largest single-site solar panel manufacturing facility in North America.

Comstock Metals says its process recovers all the useful material from solar panels and byproducts, breaking them down into raw aluminum, glass, and metal that can be reused, rather than sending waste to landfills. The company recently announced plans to build a recycling and logistics hub in Cambridge, Ohio, about 60 miles from the Illuminate plant.

This deal is part of a broader pattern of solar recycling partnerships. Comstock Metals has agreements with RWE Clean Energy for recycling and decommissioning solar installations, and with Virtus Renewables to build out recycling and logistics networks. Separately, Illuminate USA has a deal with another recycler, Solarcycle, to buy recycled glass for use in new panels, with deliveries expected to start in 2028.

None of this changes anything for homeowners directly — it's about how manufacturers handle waste and materials at the industrial level. But it points to a growing infrastructure for recycling solar panels and their components in the US, which could matter down the road if you have panels on your roof that eventually need replacing or disposing of.