Recent efforts mitigating the global energy crisis has led to a radical shifttowards solar energy production. However, photovoltaic module (PVM) waste remains a grave concern. Burden shifting within a system is attributed to the lack of systems thinking applied in socio-technical transitions. Policies describe the processes for end-of-life management such as recycling, yet in practice leaves room for improvement. This paper aims to aid decision-makers with a systems perspective examining the barriers to increased recycling of PVMs. A comparative case study using qualitative data was collected from 12 semi structured interviews in South Africa and Sweden. Interviewees were recognized as key actors in the solar energy transition, as well as having a role to play in recycling PVMs. Using systems thinking approach, the interview results were used to define and visualize a social-technological-ecological system (STES), as well as its components and their relationships contained therein. The STES for Sweden included 12 components with 15 different relationships. Whereas South Africa’s systems included 13 components and 25 different relationships, owing to the addition of the ‘Social equity’ component and several more relationships within the social subsystem, extending to the technological subsystem. Barriers, where connections between components were disconnected, were interpreted. Despite the stark contrast between South Africa and Sweden’s landscapes and regimes, the pathways to bridge barriers are relatively the same. These include implementing economic instruments to encourage recycling, circular design of PVMs, and enhancing the information, knowledge and skills of recycling processes. The transition’s maturity was an overarching theme influencing the broader state of the system. Further research on the cognitive dissonance of sustainability transitions and the long-term impacts, as well as cause and effects relationships between components, and refining component definitions in the social subsystem based on emerging literature are encouraged.