A device may receive historical operational data for a mechanical system, such as a rotor blade of a wind turbine. The device may determine one or more quality grades for each of one or more materials of the system, e.g., the rotor blade. The one or more quality grades may be determined by using a data model to process the historical operational data. The data model may be trained using machine learning based on one or both of historical operational data for similar systems, e.g., other rotor blades, and end-of-life (EOL) testing data for the same. The device may determine a recycling recommendation based on the one or more quality grades. The recycling recommendation may include instructions relating to recycling the one or more materials. The device may deliver the recycling recommendation to another device or recipient.

A method for decommissioning a wind turbine blade includes separating a root section of a turbine blade from a tip section of a turbine blade, and laterally cutting the tip section of the turbine blade into a plurality of separate tip subsections. Each tip subsection is cut along its length, flattened, deposited into a compacting and bundling apparatus, and compressed. The compressed tip subsections are bundled in the compacting and bundling apparatus with banding material to form a bundle. The bundle is removed from the compacting and bunding apparatus and loaded onto a transportation vehicle.

A method of disengaging a rotor-lock of a wind turbine, the rotor comprising one or more blades, which due to the gravitational pull, generates a rotor torque which is opposed by a rotor-lock counter-torque from the rotor-lock, the method comprising: a) determining a direction of the rotor torque with a sensor system; b) applying a rotor-drive counter-torque to the rotor with a rotor-drive system, wherein the rotor-drive counter-torque acts to oppose the determined rotor torque and causes the rotor-lock counter-torque to reduce; c) during or after the application of the rotor-drive counter-torque, disengaging the rotor-lock mechanism; wherein the step of determining a direction of the rotor torque comprises applying a torque restriction to the rotor-drive based on the determined direction of the rotor torque, the torque restriction preventing the application of torque to the rotor by the rotor-drive system in the same direction as the rotor torque.