A method of reclaiming cadmium material from photovoltaic (PV) modules is provided. The method includes submerging one or more portions of a PV module in a solution including non-distilled water, wherein the one or more portions of the PV module are submerged until cadmium material present on the PV module dissolves into the solution, boiling the solution until the dissolved cadmium material precipitates, and collecting the precipitated cadmium material.