Informing the Public and Educating Students on Plastic Recycling

Ethan M Bennett,Paschalis Alexandridis

doi:10.3390/recycling6040069

Ethan M Bennett, Paschalis Alexandridis

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling6040069

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Journal: Recycling	Publication Date: Oct 21, 2021
Citations: 16	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University at Buffalo, State University of New York

Abstract

Approximately 300 million tons of plastic waste is generated per year. The major portion of this plastic waste is landfilled, while part of it leaks into the environment. When plastic waste enters the terrestrial or aqueous environment, it can have negative impacts on ecosystems, human health, and wildlife. Increasing the amount of plastic waste that is recycled will correspondingly reduce the amount of plastic waste that enters the environment. By educating the public and industry on plastic recycling, current recycling programs can be used more efficiently, and new programs can be created. Education material on plastic recycling is available through professional and industry associations, foundations with an environmental focus, university courses, and short courses offered with private companies. This review assembles and analyzes the current education material on plastic recycling that is available from these providers. The material compiled here can be used to gain insight into specific plastic recycling-related topics, to identify areas of recycling education that can be improved, and as a resource to help build university level courses. There is currently a dearth of plastic recycling courses offered at the university level. Educating more students on plastic recycling will equip them with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions as consumers, and to implement plastic recycling systems at the professional level.

Highlights

Introduction to Plastics RecyclingThis is a 3 h workshop that gives students a better understanding of the most common plastics used today, the recyclable plastics that offer the best economic opportunity, the pros and cons of different recycling methods, the leading government bodies and organizations that working to advance recycling, and the business-assistance programs for recycling implementation in New York State [89].5.1.3
At a 78% reduction in plastic pollution, the durability of plastics will still lead to a large amount of plastic accumulating in landfills and the environment, demonstrating the need to further reduce the amount of plastic pollution [6]
The results showed that all three teaching strategies were able to increase the students’ knowledge of plastic recycling

Summary

Introduction

Introduction to Plastics RecyclingThis is a 3 h workshop that gives students a better understanding of the most common plastics used today, the recyclable plastics that offer the best economic opportunity, the pros and cons of different recycling methods, the leading government bodies and organizations that working to advance recycling, and the business-assistance programs for recycling implementation in New York State [89].5.1.3. Crash Course in Plastic Recycling This is a 2.5 h webinar that requires a REMADE Institute membership to access. In this course, REMADE Institute experts will provide an in-depth overview of existing recycling technologies capable of converting plastic waste into high-value products. Topics covered include washing and sortation protocols, extrusion processes, additives to adjust product properties, and laboratory methods to evaluate feed materials and products. This course is designed for newcomers to the field of plastics recycling and for industry veterans to strengthen their knowledge on the basics of plastic recycling [90].

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