3 ms·

If it’s just PLA, who cares? Lactic acid will get broken down and is everywhere already in most living things, the concerns with microplastics eyc in the envir

If it’s just PLA, who cares? Lactic acid will get broken down and is everywhere already in most living things, the concerns with microplastics eyc in the environment don’t exist with PLA unless there’s some issue I’m not aware of. There may be concerns with materials added to PLA to make it have better qualities, I’m not familiar with those.

eropple 4y ago
Polylactic acid is a generally safe plastic, but it is not particularly digestible by bacteria and so on. It's considered "degradable", but only in specific environmental situations or in an industrial setting. Also, Most flavors of "PLA" (both used in 3D printing and without) are mixtures, though. 3D printing "PLA+" and "PLA Pro" are usually mixed with acrylic or with thermoplastic urethane. (I do some 3D printing, and this is a big reason why I try to cut down on waste as much as is practical - and also why I'm trying to do more and more with PET/PETG. Even though I have a PLA-and-friends recycler in my area who just takes the stuff, the recycling paths for PET/PETG are more broadly available and understood. For prototyping, I've been trying to move more towards Algix Alga as much as possible, though it's tough because it's pricey and rarely in stock.)
- colechristensen 4y ago
  Nobody is going to recycle your PET from prints/failures/etc. though, they're just going to get dumped. There's no magic plastic identification and separation in anybody's recycling. The way I see it you have three viable options: * Use raw PLA * Accept that you're going to generate some plastic waste * Burn your plastic waste Really unless you've gone completely carbon neutral, burning a small amount of plastic isn't a big deal, it's really where most plastic waste should go. Waste to energy plants are just fossil fuel power plants with extra steps.
  - eropple 4y ago
    The only plastic allowed in our recycling is PET. (And we have a local 3D printer recycler anyway, where both go anyway--it's more of an incentivization thing. It's a marginal incentive, but better than nothing.) Of course I accept that I'm going to generate waste--but I am trying to generate less of it. Hence NonOilen and Algis Alga as prototyping materials.

eropple 4y ago

Polylactic acid is a generally safe plastic, but it is not particularly digestible by bacteria and so on. It's considered "degradable", but only in specific environmental situations or in an industrial setting. Also, Most flavors of "PLA" (both used in 3D printing and without) are mixtures, though. 3D printing "PLA+" and "PLA Pro" are usually mixed with acrylic or with thermoplastic urethane. (I do some 3D printing, and this is a big reason why I try to cut down on waste as much as is practical - and also why I'm trying to do more and more with PET/PETG. Even though I have a PLA-and-friends recycler in my area who just takes the stuff, the recycling paths for PET/PETG are more broadly available and understood. For prototyping, I've been trying to move more towards Algix Alga as much as possible, though it's tough because it's pricey and rarely in stock.)

colechristensen 4y ago
Nobody is going to recycle your PET from prints/failures/etc. though, they're just going to get dumped. There's no magic plastic identification and separation in anybody's recycling. The way I see it you have three viable options: * Use raw PLA * Accept that you're going to generate some plastic waste * Burn your plastic waste Really unless you've gone completely carbon neutral, burning a small amount of plastic isn't a big deal, it's really where most plastic waste should go. Waste to energy plants are just fossil fuel power plants with extra steps.
- eropple 4y ago
  The only plastic allowed in our recycling is PET. (And we have a local 3D printer recycler anyway, where both go anyway--it's more of an incentivization thing. It's a marginal incentive, but better than nothing.) Of course I accept that I'm going to generate waste--but I am trying to generate less of it. Hence NonOilen and Algis Alga as prototyping materials.