On December 16, 2025, the Hebei Provincial Market Supervision and Administration Bureau issued the "Local Standard for Pollution Control Technical Specifications for the Recycling and Disposal of Retired Photovoltaic Equipment," which regulates the recycling and harmless disposal of retired photovoltaic equipment to reduce the environmental pollution risks caused by end-of-life solid waste and promote the healthy and standardized development of the recycling industry. The standard will be implemented on January 16, 2026.

The core contents of the regulations are as follows:

4 General Requirements 

4.1 The entire process of dismantling, transporting, storing, recycling, and disposing of retired photovoltaic equipment should follow the principles of reduction, resource utilization, and harmlessness to promote synergistic pollution and carbon reduction. 

4.2 The site selection for recycling and disposal projects must comply with relevant laws, regulations, and policy requirements and should not be located within national or local ecological protection redlines, permanent basic farmland concentrated areas, or other specially protected areas.

4.3 Recycling and disposal projects should reasonably determine the production scale and technical route for recycling facilities and should not use processes or equipment that are restricted or phased out by the state. 

4.4 Recycling and disposal enterprises must obtain discharge permits in accordance with HJ 942, HJ 1034, and other regulations, and possess pollution control facilities and equipment matching the production scale. Waste gas, wastewater, etc., must comply with national and local pollutant emission standards and discharge permit requirements. Solid waste must be properly stored, recycled, or disposed of in accordance with national and local pollution control regulations and standards. 

4.5 Photovoltaic power generation enterprises must fulfill their responsibilities for the disposal of retired photovoltaic equipment and must not dispose of such equipment through unauthorized methods such as landfilling or abandonment. If other entities are entrusted with dismantling, transporting, storing, recycling, or disposing of retired photovoltaic equipment, the qualifications and technical capabilities of the entrusted party must be verified, and pollution control requirements must be stipulated. Distributed projects are encouraged to involve photovoltaic equipment manufacturers in the recovery of retired equipment through self-recovery, joint recovery, or third-party professional recovery models. 

4.6 Before dismantling retired photovoltaic equipment, photovoltaic power generation enterprises must identify the environmental management attributes of the equipment and its dismantled products in accordance with GB 5085.7 and GB 34330, and prepare pollution control plans for dismantling activities. After dismantling, a summary report on environmental protection work (see Appendix A) must be prepared. 

4.7 For retired photovoltaic equipment and its dismantled products classified as general industrial solid waste to be stored or disposed of outside the province, approval and consent from the Hebei Provincial Ecological Environment Department must be obtained. For recycling outside the province, filing with the Hebei Provincial Ecological Environment Department is required. For waste circuit boards classified as hazardous waste to be transferred out of the province, approval from the Hebei Provincial Ecological Environment Department must be obtained, and national and local hazardous waste management requirements must be followed. 

4.8 The entire process of dismantling, transporting, storing, recycling, and disposing of retired photovoltaic equipment must not only meet pollution control requirements but also comply with national laws, regulations, and standards related to work safety, occupational health, transportation, and fire protection.

5 Pollution Control Requirements for Dismantling, Transporting, and Storing 

5.1 Dust suppression measures must be taken for processes that may generate dust during dismantling. Water-based dust removal methods must be equipped with wastewater collection and treatment facilities. Noise from dismantling distributed photovoltaic equipment must comply with GB 12523. 

5.2 Solid waste generated during dismantling must be classified and managed according to its properties and disposal methods and must not be dumped, abandoned, or mixed with domestic waste. 

5.3 After dismantling, land restoration must be carried out as required. 

5.4 Measures to prevent spillage must be taken during the transportation of dismantled products. 

5.5 Dismantled products must be stored in separate areas and categories. Waste packaging and containers contaminated with hazardous waste must be stored in compliance with GB 18597.

6 Pollution Control Requirements for Recycling 

6.1 Mechanical or intelligent equipment should be used to dismantle frames, junction boxes, leads, and laminates when physically separating photovoltaic components. Pollution control for dismantling electrical waste must comply with HJ 527. Cleaning processes must be equipped with wastewater treatment and recycling systems, and washing wastewater should be reused after treatment. Dust emissions from grinding processes must comply with GB 16297. Closed-loop drying equipment should be used for drying processes, equipped with waste gas treatment facilities. Volatile organic compound emissions must comply with DB 13/2322, and unorganized emissions must comply with GB 37822. 

 6.2 Metal components such as aluminum frames and fasteners that can be reused after physical separation must be equipped with wastewater collection and treatment facilities during cleaning, derusting, or polishing. Wastewater discharge must comply with GB 8978, and derusting agents must be properly recovered. The recycling of plastic backsheets and films must comply with HJ 364. 

6.3 When using thermal methods to remove resin films and other substances from glass surfaces, smoke collection and purification devices must be equipped. Emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, lead, tin, and particulate matter must comply with national, local, and industry requirements. Volatile organic compound emissions must comply with DB 13/2322, and unorganized emissions must comply with GB 37822. 

6.4 When using chemical methods, measures must be taken to prevent solution leakage. Waste etching agents classified as hazardous waste must be entrusted to qualified entities for recycling or disposal. Continuous production equipment should be used for treatment, including continuous feeding, recycling, and discharge systems. 

6.5 During the recovery of precious metals such as silver from photovoltaic equipment, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions must comply with GB 31574, and lead and copper in wastewater must comply with GB 31574. During the recovery of tin, lead, and other metals from solder ribbons, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, lead, and tin emissions must comply with GB 31574, and lead, cadmium, and copper in wastewater must comply with GB 31574. Wastewater from metal recovery processes should be recycled.

7 Pollution Control Requirements for Disposal 

7.1 Co-processing of retired photovoltaic equipment and its dismantled products in cement kilns must comply with HJ 662, and waste gas emissions must comply with GB 30485. 

7.2 General industrial solid waste disposed of by landfilling must comply with GB 18599. Hazardous waste disposed of by landfilling must comply with GB 18598, and incineration must comply with GB 18484. 

7.3  Bottom slag and chemical reagents generated during recycling must be managed according to their solid waste properties. If they cannot be disposed of independently, they must be entrusted to qualified entities for recycling or disposal.

8 Environmental Management Requirements

8.1 Entities engaged in the recycling and disposal of retired photovoltaic equipment must establish self-monitoring systems, develop monitoring plans, and conduct self-monitoring in accordance with environmental monitoring, discharge permits, and HJ 819, HJ 942, HJ 1250, HJ 1034, etc., to avoid polluting the surrounding environment. Waste gas monitoring frequency for cement kiln co-processing must comply with HJ 662. 

8.2 Entities engaged in the recycling and disposal of retired photovoltaic equipment must establish dedicated departments or personnel responsible for environmental management. 

8.3 Entities engaged in the dismantling, transporting, storing, recycling, and disposal of retired photovoltaic equipment must prepare emergency plans for environmental incidents. 

8.4 Entities engaged in the dismantling, transporting, storing, recycling, and disposal of retired photovoltaic equipment must establish management ledgers to record the types, quantities, solid waste properties, transportation units, vehicles, disposal methods, and product flows of retired photovoltaic equipment and its dismantled products. Records must be retained for at least five years.