As Australia’s renewable energy transition accelerates, a pressing challenge emerges - what happens to ageing infrastructure once it reaches the end of its lifespan?
Wind turbines, essential to clean energy, typically last 20 to 25 years. This means that in the coming years thousands of blades will need decommissioning. Without effective recycling solutions, they risk becoming landfill waste, undermining sustainability efforts.
There is an urgent need for scalable recycling solutions to accommodate the growing volume of retired blades. iStock
Approximately 85 to 94 per cent of a wind turbine (by mass) is readily recyclable in Australia.
However, the blades pose a significant challenge. Composed of fibreglass, resins, wood, and paint, they are difficult to separate and recycle.
While newer blade designs incorporate circularity principles, older models were not built with end-of-life recovery in mind. This highlights the urgent need for scalable recycling solutions that can accommodate the growing volume of retired blades.
Advertisement
Countries like Denmark and Germany have already integrated repurposed wind blades into infrastructure, consumer products, and energy projects.
In Australia, large-scale solutions are still developing, but ACCIONA is taking steps to change that. Through its Turbine Made initiative, the company is exploring ways to potentially transform old blades into raw materials for new products, including roads, playgrounds, and high-performance composites.
By repurposing these materials, ACCIONA is reducing waste while creating new opportunities for sustainable construction and manufacturing.
Mariola Domenech, global sustainability director at ACCIONA Energía, underscores the importance of collaboration and investment in scaling turbine blade recycling. “Despite the challenges, our Turbine Made initiative represents a key step towards a circular economy in Australian renewables,” she says.
Australia is already witnessing early-stage blade repurposing. In March, ACCIONA created the world’s first surfboards made from a decommissioned turbine blade from its Waubra Wind Farm in Victoria, Australia.
In Spain, the company has pioneered waste-to-industry solutions, incorporating recycled composite materials and fibreglass from wind turbine blades into structures supporting photovoltaic tracker systems.
ACCIONA has also partnered with Spanish fashion label El Ganso to create sneakers with soles made from recycled blade material. These projects highlight the versatility of repurposed wind turbine components across different industries.
Brett Wickham, managing director ACCIONA Energía Australia, says that decommissioned blade volumes will increase significantly in the coming years. “As of 2023, 31 wind farms, comprising 599 turbines, were more than 15 years old,” says Wickham.
Brett Wickham, managing director ACCIONA Energia Australia.
“This means a growing number of blades will need replacing within the next decade.”
By 2034, Australia is expected to generate around 15,000 tonnes of blade composite waste, with up to 4000 tonnes accumulating annually. Establishing sustainable disposal and recycling pathways is essential to manage this influx.
ACCIONA is actively developing recycling methods as part of its circular economy strategy, which recovered 98 per cent of its overall waste in 2024.
Domenech stresses that sustainability extends beyond waste reduction—it’s about product stewardship.
“By potentially collaborating with Australian manufacturers, designers, and innovators, we can identify opportunities to create practical, high-performance applications that benefit both industry and the environment,” she says.
On a global scale, ACCIONA is investing in end-of-life turbine strategies, including a blade recycling plant in Navarra, Spain, set to become operational in 2026. The facility will create 100 jobs and process 6000 tonnes of material annually.
ACCIONA is also part of the RenerCycle consortium, which is developing solutions for reconditioning, recovering, and recycling wind farm materials.
For years, ACCIONA has championed circular initiatives, recovering slags and ashes from biomass plants for use in glass bottles and roads. The company also collaborates with suppliers to incorporate recycled materials into projects, including green cement, steel, and concrete.
Christopher O’Keefe, national spokesperson for the Clean Energy Council, Australia’s green power industry body, says wind turbine blades are being repurposed in increasingly innovative ways.
“We’re seeing them used for playground equipment, public seating, and pedestrian bridges. It helps reduce landfill waste while extending the useful life of these materials,” he says.
“Take road construction, for example—shredded turbine blades are being used in asphalt and road base materials to enhance motorway durability.”
O’Keefe says that while turbine waste is increasing, it remains small in comparison to overall landfill. “By 2034, Australia is forecast to generate 15,000 tonnes of turbine waste, compared to the 21 million tonnes of landfill we produce as a nation. Wind turbine waste accounts for just 0.07 per cent of the country’s landfill. That perspective is important.”
He stresses that wind energy waste is significantly easier to manage than other renewables. “Today, 85 to 94 per cent of a wind turbine is easily recyclable,” says O’Keefe.
“The steel is valuable and easy to recycle, and the challenging aspects of the blades are being overcome through innovation. The environmental impact is negligible, especially with huge inroads into recyclable blades and the tiny portion of landfill they will make up by 2034.”
O’Keefe says Australia has an opportunity to turn this challenge into an economic advantage. “If we become a leader in transforming turbine blades into sustainable infrastructure materials, it gives us a competitive advantage over our Asia-Pacific neighbours,” he says.
“The entire clean energy sector wants to be as sustainable as possible. We are in the business of sustainability, so accelerating turbine recycling is not just good for the environment, but it’s good for Australia and the economics of the industry.”
With thousands of turbine blades set for retirement, innovative recycling solutions could prevent landfill waste while strengthening Australia’s circular economy.
By repurposing turbine materials for roads, buildings, and consumer products, industry leaders are ensuring that clean energy infrastructure remains sustainable well beyond its initial life cycle.
The challenge now is to scale these efforts, uniting government, industry, and research institutions to establish a nationwide approach to wind turbine recycling - one that aligns with Australia’s ambitious net zero targets.
To find out more, or to take part in ACCIONA’S Turbine Made initiative. please visit ACCIONA.
