Recycling: From Waste to Usable Products

Jim Newton, P.E., BCEE

Course Outline

According to the U.S. EPA, Americans create more than 250 million tons of garbage per year. Most of this garbage is made of paper products, yard trimmings, food waste and plastics. In this webinar, we will go over the solid waste management process including recent statistics. We will look at the curbside recycling program and how many communities utilize it and how the recycling process works.

In addition, we will examine the alternatives to landfill disposal that are both environmentally protective and cost-effective for the consumer. We will look at the many new products made from recycled material and how the recycling process contributes to these.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to understand:

• The basic solid waste management process;
• Recent solid waste and recycling statistics;
• How landfilling and incineration work;
• How the basic recycled materials are treated in order to become new products; and
• New recycling concepts.

Intended Audience

The intended audience for this course is any professional who is interested in waste management and sustainable development.

Course Content

You need to view and study the following materials for this course:

1. Recycling: From Waste to Usable Products (slides handout in PDF, 17 pages, 1.04 MB)
2. Recycling: From Waste to Usable Products (video) (Request the link to video)

Related Links

For additional information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

Reducing Waste | Green Homes | US EPA
City of Los Angles - Curbside Recycling Program

Quiz

You need to print the quiz questions prior to viewing the videos. At the end of the viewing, you must complete the quiz and submit your answers online to obtain your PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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