Great links, the first one in particular as it lays out the benefits vs. costs, with too little consideration given to the latter, I'm glad he addressed the issue if solar panels, which an article he links to states:

In the US, there are no federal regulations to mandate PV recycling, and according to the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, less than 10% of the country’s decommissioned panels are recycled. Even in the European Union, where legislation requires PV recycling, many waste facilities merely harvest bulk materials like aluminum frames and glass covers, which make up over 80% of a silicon panel’s mass. The remaining mass is often incinerated, even though it contains elements like silver, copper, and silicon, which together account for two-thirds of the monetary value of a silicon panel’s materials.

It is as it's always been when introducing new technology. Consider the ion batteries contained in millions of electronic devices, which aren't supposed to go into landfills but undoubtedly do. They have the annual Spring clean-ups in my area where you can take such items but the lines and wait are very long so I imagine a lot of people don't bother - and remember the news reports back some years ago that old computers from the US were being dumped in poor countries where poverty-wage workers were dismantling them to extract the salvageable parts? I used the CFL light bulbs when they first came out, trying to be a good little environmentally conscious citizen - until my brother showed me the special disposal instructions on the packaging. Where would you dispose of them properly, you may ask? Who the hell knows?