Wind turbine blades designed to withstand decades of harsh conditions are proving difficult to recycle at the end of their service life, prompting projects around the world to give the massive composite structures a second life in bridges, buildings and public spaces.
Made by combining glass or carbon fibers with resin and other materials, the blades are highly durable but difficult to process through conventional recycling methods.
As a result, projects in different countries are finding new uses for whole blades or their components, helping keep the materials in use beyond the turbines for which they were originally designed.
- Blades transformed into bridges and buildings
In Cork, Ireland, two decommissioned wind turbine blades were used as structural elements of a pedestrian bridge on the Midleton-Youghal Greenway.
The blades, originally 13.4 meters long and taken from Nordex N29 turbines, were used in approximately 11-meter sections.
In Sweden, blades removed from Denmark's Norre Okse So wind farm were repurposed as non-load-bearing facade elements of the Niels Bohr parking garage, which opened in 2025.
Swedish initiatives are also exploring new products made from decommissioned turbine components, including skis and tiny houses.
The Wikado playground in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, was built using five decommissioned wind turbine blades.
Blade sections were incorporated into playground structures and towers, providing an example of how end-of-life blades can be reused in public spaces.
- Türkiye faces 80,500 tons of blade waste
The management of end-of-life turbine blades is also expected to become an important issue in Türkiye as wind power capacity expands.
According to data compiled by Anadolu from a study by Bursa Technical University and Izmir Institute of Technology, around 9,000 wind turbine blades are expected to reach the end of their service life in Türkiye between 2020 and 2039, generating approximately 80,500 tons of waste.
Of this total, 52,325 tons are expected to consist of glass and carbon fibers and 28,175 tons of polymers, with 74% of the waste projected to come from the Aegean and Marmara regions.
Some companies in Türkiye are developing services to cut, transport, recover and repurpose decommissioned blades.
These efforts seek to turn blade waste into new products and structures with economic value rather than simply disposing of it, supporting the wind industry's transition toward a circular economy.
By Humeyra Ayaz
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr
