Ireland's retired wind-turbine blades are getting strange second lives; old power equipment is now becoming benches, bike parking and picnic tables. The projects address a problem linked to the growth of wind energy: what happens to turbine parts after they stop producing electricity? Most parts of a turbine can be recycled, but blades contain fiberglass and resin composites that are difficult to process. Irish company BladeBridge is developing ways to reuse these materials in bridges, benches, bicycle parking, picnic tables, charging hubs and other structures. The work is part of a wider circular economy approach that seeks to keep materials in use instead of sending them to landfill or incineration.
