Composite Recycling Technician Education Program, Module 1

This module, made available by Skagit Valley College, is one of two that provide a detailed instructional information on materials recycling. The module consists of five lecture slides decks and some of the slides include lecture notes. Module 2 is available to view separately. 

The first lecture, titled A Brief Introduction to Composites, includes the objectives: Learn how to define composites; understand the difference between ancient, modern, and advanced composites; understand the different classification of composite materials; learn the advantages and disadvantages of composites; and more. 

The second lecture, titled Waste vs. Scrap, includes the objectives: Learn appropriate terminology of different types of waste and the industries in which they are associated; learn the difference between scrap and waste, learn about current materials recycling and success stories; and learn statistics on how much scrap is generated versus how much is currently recycled as it applies to macro trends in the world. 

The third lecture, titled Recycling Trends, includes the objectives: Learn how consumer desire and perception pushes the need for composite recycling; learn about government regulations and initiatives; learn about non-governmental recycling initiatives; and learn about what it takes to keep up landfills, the decline in available landfill space, and the harm of landfilling to the environment and public health. 

The fourth lecture, titled Industry Perpective on Recycling, includes the objectives: Learn how industry perceives composite recycling and what they see as the biggest challenges; learn what demands are placed on composite technicians as composite recycling is introduced; and learn what subject matter experts see as logistical problems for composite recycling. 

The fifth lecture, titled Basic Introduction to Current Composite Recyling in Industry, includes the objectives: Learn about current composite recycling methods used in industry; and learn about challenges associated with in-house recycling as well as the outsourcing of composite scrap.