A new fee for photovoltaics is coming. It starts on October 9th.

• On October 9, 2025, the provisions of the amended Act on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment will come into force.
• From that date, owners of old photovoltaic panels will be responsible for the costs of disposing of old photovoltaic panels.
• This applies to PV installations launched before January 1, 2016.
• The new fee will apply to all businesses, public entities, and farmers. Private homeowners who are not farmers will be exempt.

- Pursuant to the amendment to the Act on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, from October 9, 2025, owners of old photovoltaic panels will be responsible for the costs of disposing of old photovoltaic panels - the Globenergia.pl portal reminds.

The amended Act implements EU Directive 2024/884 on waste electrical and electronic equipment. Under the new regulations, new cut-off dates will be introduced to distinguish so-called old equipment, depending on the type of equipment:

• household appliances placed on the market before 13 August 2005;
• photovoltaic panels intended for households placed on the market before 1 January 2016;
• other household equipment placed on the market before 1 January 2018

What will be the consequences of these changes? Lawyers from Raczyński Skalski & Partners explain that under the new regulation, the user of the equipment, and not—as was the case previously—the entity introducing it to the market, will be responsible for its disposal and covering the associated costs.

The new obligation will only apply to:

• photovoltaic panels placed on the market between 13 August 2005 and 31 December 2015 ;
• other types of equipment introduced between 13 August 2005 and 31 December 2017 .

The new obligation will therefore primarily cover installations launched before January 1, 2016. This means that the first prosumers from the photovoltaic boom era will have to pay out of pocket for the recycling of panels that are beginning to reach the end of their life cycle.

- notes the website Globenergai.pl.

He also points out that the Act provides for the introduction of a flat-rate recycling fee.

"Although the fee hasn't been officially approved yet, according to the Ministry of Climate, it will range from 150 to 200 PLN per installation. It's worth remembering that this fee includes the actual cost of physical disposal of the panels, calculated according to their weight," the website reports.

He explains: "Owners of pre-2016 PV installations will have to bear the costs of disposing of the panels, but these costs may be higher than the flat fee alone . It is estimated that the physical disposal of 12 modules (weighing approximately 228 kg) could cost up to PLN 340 , at a rate of PLN 1.50 per kilogram."

- However, the final cost may vary depending on the type of panels (monocrystalline, thin-film), their technical condition and the completeness of the set - informs Globenergai.pl.

There's some good news, though. "It's worth noting that this change only applies to PV panels not used for household purposes . Therefore, consumers don't have to worry about the upcoming obligations," say experts from the Raczyński Skalski & Partners law firm.

The new fee applies to all businesses, public entities, and farmers . Only private homeowners who are not farmers are exempt.

The amended regulations aim to ensure demand for waste collection and processing services, which will enable producers to achieve minimum annual collection, recovery and recycling rates for waste equipment.