More than 400 wind turbines in Northern Ireland will need to be replaced over the next 15 years, creating thousands of tonnes of blade waste that currently mostly goes to landfill or incineration.

Two local companies have collaborated to give decommissioned blades a new life. Plaswire Ltd, based in Lurgan, County Armagh, processes the blades into a reusable material that can substitute for timber, concrete, or virgin plastic. The firm is currently recycling blades from the Bellacorrick wind farm in County Mayo, the island’s first commercial wind farm, which was taken offline earlier this year.

Chief executive Andrew Billingsley said the amount of blade waste globally is massive, with about 125,000 tonnes disposed of annually, rarely in a sustainable way. He added that Plaswire’s approach avoids incineration, which releases nearly three tonnes of carbon dioxide for each tonne burned, and offsets the roughly three tonnes of CO2 used to manufacture a tonne of virgin plastic.

The resulting products include fence posts and reusable transport pallets that have a lifespan of at least 30 years, offering an alternative to precast concrete and timber.

Scarva-based ubloquity provides traceability for the recycled material. Founder Kieran Kelly said the company attaches QR codes or radio frequency tags that allow each product to transmit its history when scanned, revealing when and where it was made, what production line it came from, and its origin.

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have previously shown that old turbine blades can safely be used in bridges and street furniture, expanding the potential applications.

The Bellacorrick site is being repowered with 18 larger turbines, each generating more power than the original 21 machines combined. Together with the adjacent Oweninny wind farm, the expanded facility will supply electricity to up to 220,000 homes and businesses.