Last time I looked around I couldn’t find anyone in London or UK that would accept PLA of failed prints to recycle. Does anyone know if such a company exists today or any other way to recycle or biodegrade PLA?
Excellent question, but from what I’ve seen the councils don’t offer industrial composting (at least Lambeth for sure doesn’t). Not just for filament, but in general I think biodegradable plastics are pretty much greenwashing at least until the councils catch up on being able to process them.
I’m not aware of any firms that will take it to recycle or compost, but I imagine there must be some.
Edinburgh uni uses these because they have money to spare, but otherwise I would say not worth the money. (£1880/m3 when choosing medium)
https://zerowasteboxes.terracycle.co.uk/products/3d-printing-zero-waste-box?_pos=1&_sid=96cc7889a&_ss=r&variant=32586248290382
I’ve seen a couple of folks experimenting with pressing heated filament scraps into moulds but I have not found any commercial recycler.
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Apparently incineration is a reasonably environmentally friendly way to dispose of PLA. PLA stands for poly lactic acid. So the emissions will be exactly the same as if you eat corn and do a workout. Just water and CO2. No chlorine compounds or heavy metals. https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-pla#:~:text=twi.co.uk-,How%20is%20it%20Made%3F,into%20polylactic%20acid%2C%20or%20PLA.
There are also extruders you can buy that turn it back into filament. But they cost between hundreds and thousands.