How are wind turbines recycled?
In short: A wind turbine is around 85–90% readily recyclable — the tower, foundation, generator and cables are made of steel, concrete and copper. The actual sticking point is the rotor blades made of fibre composite. For them, recovery is technically solved, but not yet high-value within the material loop.
What's inside a turbine?
| Component | Material | Recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Tower | Steel / concrete | established recycling (steel scrap, concrete rubble) |
| Foundation | Reinforced concrete | removal + concrete rubble as aggregate |
| Generator, gearbox | Steel, copper, rare earths (in part) | high material value, recovery |
| Nacelle cladding, rotor blades | Glass/carbon fibre (GFRP/CFRP) | difficult — see below |
The rotor blade problem
Rotor blades consist of glass or carbon fibres soaked in resin — a material made precisely so that it does not break down into its constituents. That makes genuine recycling laborious. Three routes currently dominate:
- Cement plant recovery (today's standard): The blades are shredded and used in the cement kiln. The fibres become part of the clinker, the resin replaces fuel. Material-thermal, but no landfill and no material lost into nothing.
- Mechanical recycling: Shredding into fibre flour/granulate as a filler for new plastics — ramping up.
- Chemical recycling (pyrolysis, solvolysis): The resin is dissolved out, the fibres remain intact and reusable — promising, but not yet at large scale.
Manufacturers have meanwhile announced recyclable blades, or have first models on the market in which the resin can later be dissolved again.
Landfill ban drives the change
In Germany, landfilling rotor blades is effectively no longer permitted — they must be recovered. This has accelerated the build-up of the cement plant route and of new recycling capacity. With the upcoming repowering wave, thousands of legacy turbines will come up for decommissioning over the next few years, which makes the market for blade recycling economically viable.
Frequently asked questions
Does the foundation stay in the ground?
In principle, complete removal is mandatory. In practice, removal is usually carried out down to a certain depth; a complete excavation may be stipulated in the permit or land-lease contract. With repowering, the foundation is often newly built anyway.
Who pays for the decommissioning?
The turbine operator. For this, a decommissioning bond (Rückbaubürgschaft) must be lodged at the permitting stage, the amount of which is based on the estimated decommissioning costs. Details under Decommissioning & reserves.
How much of the turbine really ends up in the loop?
Over 90% by mass, because the tower and foundation account for the bulk of the weight. The remaining fibre-composite fractions are the small but technically demanding remainder.
Wind turbine recycling – material shares, the rotor blade problem and three recovery routes