In spite of what you may have heard, PLA is not biodegradable in the way that it’s implied. Studies show that while it is technically biodegradable, it needs very specific industrial conditions to do so (taking months in the process). In normal composting conditions, it can take hundreds of years for any significant processing. PLA in particular is given the recycling designation 7, which is defined as “other”. This means that if sent to a typical recycling facility, there is an exceptionally low chance it actually gets recycled and as a result it gets burned or put into a landfill.
As a 3D printing business ourselves, the 3D Shop is working on solving the problem of the waste that gets produced by the 3D printing process - particularly PLA, PETG, and Polycarbonate.
Currently, we are set up for you to bring by your 3D printed waste to our shop for us to process. It is currently free to bring your waste and we’d like to keep it that way.