Please note!

This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Can wind turbine blades be recycled?

Monday, October 26, 2020

By Seth Smalley

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Wind turbine blades, made mostly of fiberglass, often end up in landfills. About 85% of the other material in wind turbines, including steel and copper wire, "has substantial salvage value and is recyclable," according to the American Wind Energy Association.

According to the association, the lifespan of a wind turbine blade is from 20 to 30 years. They are large and hard to transport, but unlikely to pose further hazards once disposed of. An industry research group estimated in April that blades could generate a cumulative 4 million tons of landfill waste through 2050. By comparison, U.S. cities sent 139 million tons of waste to landfills in 2017.

Researchers are currently investigating end-of-life strategies for decommissioned blades, including reusing the material for insulation, decking, particle board, pallets and other purposes.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

AWEA: Wind turbine end-of-life strategies

Bloomberg: Wind turbine blades can’t be recycled, so they're piling up in landfills

Electric Power Research Institute: Wind turbine blade recycling, preliminary assessment

NPR: turbine blades will create 720,000 tons of waste material in next 20 years

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.