We’ve touched on the use of rubbish chutes to sort materials on-site in the past, with different coloured chutes able to carry different substances safely to ground level – with benefits including the ability to streamline your sorting of recyclable materials.
This could be particularly useful in the years ahead, as the National Federation of Roofing Contractors reports that solar panels will be subject to WEEE regulations from 2014 onwards.
In turn, companies that install, remove or replace solar panels may face new obligations in terms of how they dispose of the waste panels.
This does not have to be burdensome; as much as 80% of an ordinary solar panel is glass anyway, and can be recycled in much the same way as a window pane or other waste glass.
Of the remainder, a large proportion is likely to be metal contained within the supporting frame, again with familiar and straightforward options for collection and recycling.
Rubbish chutes can carry parts of broken solar panels to ground level quickly and safely, depositing them in the appropriate sorting bin for collection.
This can be convenient and safe; for instance, if a panel shatters upon removal, the shards of broken glass are quickly removed from the site so the risk of injuries is reduced.