Speed up wind turbine recycling, says value chain

The wind energy industry group WindEurope is calling on EU policy makers to accelerate progress on recycling its products at end-of-life.

It wants Brussels to convert EU waste directives into regulations to ensure consistent application across Member States and to establish waste codes for wind-specific end-of-life materials in the European List of Waste and Waste Shipment Regulation.

WindEurope says one of the biggest challenges is that waste from end-of-life wind turbine blades is not clearly labelled. ‘Blades and other components often get mixed in with general construction waste,’ it says.

‘This makes it difficult to track what happens to them—and even harder to collect, sort, and recycle them properly. Without clear classification, valuable materials risk being lost or mismanaged.’

The group has more than 600 members including manufacturers, component suppliers, power utilities and wind farm developers, financial institutions, research institutes and national associations.

Voluntary drive

Meanwhile, WindEurope is leading a voluntary reporting initiative to track blade waste volumes and disposal methods across Europe.

The system is designed to collect annual data on key indicators such as the number of turbines decommissioned and the amount of blade waste diverted from landfills.This recognises that transparent, sustainable waste management is essential to maintaining public and political support for wind energy in Europe.

In 2021, WindEurope called for an EU-wide landfill ban for wind turbine blades. By 2030, Europe is expected to generate over 50 000 tonnes of blade waste, with around 14 000 blades projected to be dismantled, amounting to between 40 000 and 60 000 tonnes of material.

Waste management companies are anticipating the expected volumes by building specific recycling facilities across the continent.

Extra effort

Up to 90% of a wind turbine’s mass is already recyclable but WindEurope wants to go further, especially over the recyclability of wind turbine blades and permanent magnets.

Since 2021, recycling technologies have advanced significantly, making it possible to convert the composite materials inside wind turbine blades into market-quality products. Where full circularity is not yet economically viable, energy-from-waste is seen a reasonable way forward.

Reusing and upcycling blades offer practical and visible alternatives to landfills. Across Europe, old wind turbine blades are being transformed into new, useful structures such as pedestrian bridges, playgrounds and benches or hybrid solar-wind farms.

WindEurope argues such projects show that, even before full recycling becomes the norm, reuse can keep materials out of landfill.