The claim: Wind power turbine blades cannot be recycled
As the U.S. continues to build up its wind power infrastructure, a claim is circulating on social media questioning just how green this alternative energy is.
Alongside an image of a bulldozer burying wind turbine blades, the post says: “These blades need to be disposed of and there is presently no way to recyle (sic) them. That’s how green energy works!”
A Facebook version of the meme from Nov. 5, was shared more than 200 times within 10 days.
But it’s not exactly right.
It is true that decommissioned wind turbine blades are often thrown away in landfills.
The image in the meme shows blades being buried at the Casper Regional Landfill in Wyoming. It was taken by photographer Benjamin Rasmussen and featured in a February 2020 Bloomberg article about blade waste.
However, experts say there are ways to recycle them – though the technology has not been implemented on a large scale.
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USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the claim.
Twitter user @CharlesHawtrey3 acknowledged that blades could potentially be recycled. “Some companies say they are recycling blades, but … the amount they recycle is minimal,” the user told USA TODAY in a direct message.
Wind turbine blades can be recycled now, though the practice is not widespread
Wind turbine blades have typically been constructed to last…
