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CASPER, Wyo. — The city of Casper has released a statement confirming the disposal of wind turbine blades in the Casper Regional Solid Waste Facility. This, after pictures of the turbine blades surfaced on social media.

The City of Casper says the facility has been

accepting fiberglass wind turbine blades, that are being replaced, for disposal.

The says they were contacted in early 2019 regarding the potential disposal project.

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Regarding the City of Casper’s Solid Waste Facility’s role in the project, Solid Waste Manager Cindie Langston stated, “The customer coordinating the disposal of the wind turbine blades researched potential landfills in the Rocky Mountain Region that could take the blades and

narrowed it down to the Casper Regional Solid Waste Facility after reviewing our permits and

certification.”

“Wind turbine blades are made of non-recyclable fiberglass which are extremely difficult to crush,” a statement from the City of Casper said, Tuesday. “Destroying the blades requires compacting equipment more powerful and larger than the Casper Regional Solid Waste Facility has. Disposal in a landfill is a viable option as fiberglass is a material that does not leach components into the soil or groundwater and thus can be buried in an unlined landfill.”

City staff say theyhave worked to stack the blades in order to minimize the amount of space utilized and preserve these cells use for our citizens needs.

City Manager Carter Napier commented, “The citizens of Casper can be satisfied in knowing that years of planning and proactive development pays off with projects of this nature.”

Napier added, “the revenue that is received from this project will ultimately benefit our entire community.”

The Casper Regional Solid Waste Facility is the only landfill in the region that has both the national certifications required by the federal government to dispose of materials in an environmentally friendly manner and an unlined landfill large enough to handle the project, according to city officials.

Pictures of the wind turbine blades have caused a stir on local social media lately, drawing criticism on several fronts, including criticism of the wind power industry.

The city did not elaborate who was disposing of the blades.