The fact that we are discussing a published article seems to suggest somebody wants to talk about it. Also, non renewable sources of energy produce a ton of waste as well! Petroleum refining, for example, is notoriously wasteful.

More info: https://archive.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/web/html/index-63.ht...

In this case, it seems more like a logistics problem than an environmental one since the blades are made from inert materials and therefore good candidates for landfill. I'm assuming the cost does not justify crushing it for other uses but it could be done at some point if needed.