Why Printing Waste Needs Its Own Route
Every 3D print makes some waste that never leaves the workshop: support material, brims, test pieces, the occasional failed print, and on multi-colour work, the small purge of filament cleared out at each colour change (how multi-colour printing works explains why). Nearly all of our display and collector work is printed in PLA, so most of that waste is PLA too.
PLA is a thermoplastic, so it can be melted down and made into filament again. What it can't do is go in the yellow bin. As Infilament explains, most Australian kerbside recycling doesn't accept PLA, because it softens at a much lower temperature than the plastics those streams are set up for, and it needs industrial composting conditions to break down. Without a dedicated collection, it ends up in landfill.
Who Infilament Are
Infilament is an Australian PLA recycling program based in Brisbane. It collects PLA waste from makers and businesses, then shreds, cleans and blends it with virgin PLA before drawing it into new 1.75 mm filament. Its partners include The Edge at State Library of Queensland, the schools STEM program Makers Empire, Brisbane print farm I'm Finna Bridge and filament retailer RAW3D, and you'll find Formfinity on its partner list too.
What Goes In (and What Doesn't)
Infilament currently takes PLA only. Its process is tuned for PLA, and keeping the stream pure is what makes the recycled filament good enough to print with, so the rules are strict: no PETG, ABS, TPU or other plastics, and no screws, magnets or labels mixed in. That suits us well, because PLA is the material behind our shop range. The functional parts we print in PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU or polycarbonate aren't part of this program.
What "Recycled" Means Here
We want to be precise about this. Our PLA waste is recycled into new filament, but the finished spools aren't 100% recycled: Infilament blends its recycled PLA with virgin PLA, and the recycled share is 10 to 30 percent depending on how much waste is collected. That blend is what lets the new filament hold the diameter and print quality you'd expect from a commercial spool. It's a real step towards closing the loop on 3D printing, not a claim that the loop is closed.
How Our Waste Gets There
Infilament's collection points are in Brisbane and we print in Adelaide, so we don't use a bin. We sort our PLA waste in the workshop, keep anything that isn't PLA out of it, and ship it to Infilament ourselves.
What It Means for Your Order
Nothing changes about how your piece is made, checked or packed. What changes is what happens to the material that doesn't end up in your hands: the PLA offcuts and misprints from making it are collected for recycling instead of going in the bin.
Send Us Your Old PLA Prints
If you have PLA prints you no longer want, from us or anyone else, you're welcome to send them to us and we'll pass them on to Infilament with our own waste. A few things to know first:
- PLA only. No PETG, ABS, TPU, resin or other plastics. If you're not sure what something is printed in, leave it out.
- Take out anything that isn't plastic, such as screws, magnets, keyrings and stickers.
- Postage to us is at your cost. We can't cover shipping, but we take care of getting it from Adelaide to Infilament.
Get in touch before you post anything and we'll send you the address.
Why We Joined
"Every print leaves something behind, and I didn't like the idea of that ending up in landfill. Climate change is a problem every business has a part in, however small, and for a print workshop the most direct thing I can do is make sure the plastic I don't use gets a second life. Working with Infilament means the waste from every order, including larger runs for businesses, goes back into making filament. If you're choosing who prints for you, I'd like that to count for something."
Kevin, Formfinity
Got a question about our materials?
Ask us anything about what your piece is printed in, or how the recycling works.
Get in TouchWant to know more about PLA itself? Read the materials guide or PLA vs PETG. Printing in quantity for a business? See bulk 3D printing for business or our business printing page.