September 22, 2019
Wyoming

Casper Regional Landfill begins burying turbine blades

By Kody Allen | Wyoming News Now | Sep 18, 2019 | www.wyomingnewsnow.tv

One wind farm in Glenrock and two from the Saratoga area have partnered with the Casper Regional Landfill to dispose of their old wind turbine blades.

More than 900 blades will be brought to the landfill beginning now until the end of next spring.

The Casper Solid Waste Manager, Cynthia Langston, said that though most turbine blades can be reused, there are some that are simply un-recyclable.

“Ninety percent of the turbines are completely reclaimed, recycled, and reused, but there is ten percent that is fiberglass, so those are coming to us from three different farms in the state.”

Langston said that though the motor houses can be crushed, the blades are too strong.

To save space, they cut each blade into three separate parts before transporting them, then stack them on each other to be buried.

Langston said that Casper was the only facility in the region that could handle such a project.

“So Casper happens to be, I think it is, the biggest landfill facility in the state of Wyoming. These blades are really big, and they take up a lot of airspace, and our unlined area is very, very large, and it’s going to last hundreds of years.”

She also mentioned that Casper is the only landfill in the state that has the certification to show that it is environmentally responsible, but being conscious for the Earth isn’t the only reason Casper decided to bring the project to the city.

They are making a pretty large profit from the deal; $675,485 to be exact.

“So the revenue from the special projects, um, that go in the unlined area, help with the whole cost of our facility so it keeps all of our rates low. Helping with the revenue source, so absolutely, we’re making money on it.”

Keeping prices low is important to the CRL, as they are the lowest price landfill in the state, much in thanks to these types of special projects.

Expect to see more blades come to the landfill at least until the end of next spring as more turbines are replaced or decommissioned.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/09/22/casper-regional-landfill-begins-burying-turbine-blades/