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Why Aging Wind Turbines Present A 'Huge' Landfill Problem

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A wind farm near Palm Springs, Calif. (David McNew/AFP/Getty Images)
A wind farm near Palm Springs, Calif. (David McNew/AFP/Getty Images)

Wind energy is still relatively new in the United States, but there's a big problem ahead for the industry — what to do with the 170-foot, 22,000-pound blades when they need to be taken down and replaced.

Many landfills won't take them, and the fiberglass materials are difficult to recycle.

Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd asks Karl Englund, an engineering professor at Washington State University, about the industry's attempts to the solve the problem before it becomes a crisis.

This segment aired on December 23, 2016.

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