Wind Blade Waste Piles Up as Recyclers Scramble for Solutions
The Casper Regional Landfill in Wyoming used to accept decommissioned wind blades from around the state, collecting 1,124 of them by September 2020. However, it stopped accepting blades mid-2021 and has since seen no new arrivals.
Crews are currently dismantling a Chevron wind farm in Casper that was built in 2009 but never ran properly. The blades from this farm are being removed, but it's unclear where they will be sent. Chevron spokesperson Christine Dobbyn said metal would go through 'established salvage and recycling channels'.
In Missouri, Veolia has been shredding over 7,000 decommissioned wind blades since late 2020, selling the resulting dust to cement kilns. This process allows the kilns to use the shredded blades as a substitute for raw materials, reducing their carbon footprint and water usage. However, it's worth noting that this method may not be suitable for all locations due to logistical constraints.
The issue of wind blade waste is expected to grow in the coming years, with NREL analysis predicting 2.2 million metric tons of cumulative US blade waste by 2050. In contrast, Europe has implemented a voluntary landfill ban on decommissioned blades, which took effect this year and aims to reduce waste through recycling.