3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

“I’m so confused…which bin do I choose?” Recycling everyday materials and re-using objects made from them have been part of our country’s materials-usage landscape for decades. However, as we engineer a sustainable future, recycling will become an ever-increasing component of our strategies for material selection and product design. This course provides an overview of recycling – from the basics of materials recovery, processing and re-use to its economic and environmental impacts. Students will learn about industrial practices associated with recycling and how these relate to our everyday consumer behaviors. Field experiences and laboratory demonstrations will expose students to the realities of recycling. The challenges associated with recycling will be examined to gain a greater understanding of issues related to the use of materials in a sustainable world.