Vattenfall to stop sending wind turbine blades to landfills

Swedish energy company Vattenfall has set itself a new climate target, announcing its intention to stop sending disused or end-of-life wind turbine blades to landfills as part of a scheme to cut back on plastic waste.

The company slammed the industry in a statement announcing the change, stating it is "no longer acceptable for wind industry composite waste to be placed in landfills", eyeing up an end-of-decade deadline for the transition.

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The company will be looking to recycle or reuse 100% of its turbine blades by 2030 in a bid to reduce plastic waste along the industry value chain as part of a greater goal of "enabling fossil-free living" within a generation.

Eva Phillips, the environment and sustainability head at Vattenfall's Business Area Wind revealed that legislation in some countries allows for energy companies to dispose of disused turbine blades in landfills, and called for the immediate cessation of the practice.

"Achieving 50% recycling by 2025 and 100% by 2030 is a big challenge", she said. "Solutions to tackle this challenge do not exist on a large scale today, so significant efforts are needed to reach this long-term goal".

Vattenfall currently operates around 3.6GW of wind energy in Europe - roughly 1,200 turbines. The company will be working with others in the industry into pushing research towards finding effective and environmentally conscious ways of recycling or reusing composite waste.

Vattenfall claims it will also operate under the premise of a circular economy by emphasising designs based on recyclability, which it states may increase the value of the material at the end of its life.

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Helene Biström, the chief of Business Area Wind said: "To reach 100% recycling is a joint effort and all stakeholders need to collaborate.

"In this Vattenfall wants to significantly contribute. As the wind industry continues to grow to provide fossil-free energy across the globe, Vattenfall is committed to promoting a circular economy that reduces environmental impacts throughout the product lifecycle."

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