Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) Practice Exam

Which process helps in turning waste materials into usable resources?

1. Composting

2. Landfilling

3. Energy recovery

4. Responsible landfill practices

The correct answer is: Responsible landfill practices

The process that effectively turns waste materials into usable resources is composting. Composting is an environmentally friendly process that transforms organic waste, such as food scraps and yard waste, into nutrient-rich compost. This compost can then be used to enrich soil, improve plant growth, and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. In contrast, landfilling often involves the disposal of waste in a designated area, where it is buried and left to decompose naturally over a long period without recovering any usable resources. Energy recovery, while it involves converting waste materials into energy, does not focus on making the materials usable; rather, it prioritizes generating energy, which may not utilize the waste fully as a resource. Responsible landfill practices emphasize the ethical and environmental considerations of disposal but do not inherently convert waste into usable products. Thus, composting stands out as the process designed specifically to repurpose waste into a valuable resource.