I have solar lighting fixtures along the walkway. They are about two years old. Just learned that it lasts only two years. What do you do with old solar lighting? Ditch it in the trash can?
Maybe offer on facebook marketplace or nextdoor as free? Maybe it can be used in science of recycling project(s)?
I fixed the title a little so people wouldn’t assume you are looking to dispose of solar panels.
Very weird. Our solar lights are almost seven years old and are still functioning.
If something is mostly metal, we put it into the recycling bin. Plastic stuff, sadly, goes in the trash.
Yes and buy more.
@Iglooo are your solar lights still working? If so…why would you get rid of them.
Our pathway solar lights in our last house lasted a long time. At least 8 years.
We have some solar uplighting that is going on 6 now.
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Indeed, why would I? No, it stopped working. When I looked into, it looks like it is the battery problem. You need a new battery every tow years. I have no idea how to switch out batteries. The unit is completely sealed. For this who have solar lighting last so long, what are the lumens? Mine is 80. It was hard to find anything that bright. I am guessing high lumens and short life are related.
@BunsenBurner Since I have to ditch the whole thing, I am disposing solar panel. That was the part I was most concerned about disposing. It made me stop and think this is a lot of solar energy related waste. Unless we have a proper way to dispose of solar panels, how’s solar energy going to solve our environment issues? It may solve something while creating another?
We have thrown away solar walkway lights. Honestly. I never thought of this as an issue. Just put them in the trash.
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Many places have a way to dispose of high tech waste. My city accepts it at quarterly drive through events combined with hazardous chemicals, batteries, paint, etc. When we were cleaning out my late MILs place the local waste management had a drive through open daily at the transfer station.
You could put it on your local Buy Nothing group and see if anybody wants them for a project. I’ve gotten rid of various things that way. We also have a creative reuse center in our area that might take them.
The lights likely have a very low tech nickel cadmium rechargeable battery that went bad due to exposure to the elements (a contact corroded etc.) Or the photocell that turns the lights on when it gets dark went bad. The solar elements are likely just fine.
I am sure you are right. But if the unit is sealed and you can’t replace parts, knowing what’s wrong doesn’t do much good. We still have to throw out solar panels after only two years. Not sure if I am saving the environment or ruining it by using solar.
The solution is simple: buy quality low voltage lights and install actual solar panels on the house. But please, please, please do not call these cheap crap lights “solar panels.”’ There isn’t a single solar panel in them. Solar cells - yes. There is a difference.
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OK call it solar cells then. Either way one has to think of the disposal issue. The fixture I had was actually the most expensive in its category.
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