Right now, about 85-90% of turbine materials are recyclable. This recovery rate exceeds the National Waste Policy Action Plan target of 80% average resource recovery from all waste streams by 2030.
However, the turbine industry is on the path to zero waste through ongoing research and technology improvements.
The main barrier to achieving zero-waste turbines are the turbine blades. These are made of epoxy and composite materials – such as fibreglass or carbon fibre – which are currently difficult to recycle.
The renewable energy industry is committed to sustainability, and we fully expect to be a lot further down this path by the time today’s wind farm developments are decommissioned.
Major turbine manufacturers like Vestas are continuing research into recycling blades and have released blades that will be 100% recyclable by 2040.
For those components that are not recyclable, the wind farm owner will focus on reuse and waste minimisation. Any materials unable to be recycled will be disposed of in the most environmentally responsible manner.
Learn more:
- Zero-Waste (Vestas)
- Winding Up: Decommissioning, recycling and resource recovery of Australian wind turbines (Clean Energy Council)
- Recycling renewable energy technologies (Clean Energy Council)
