Failed prints and small bits of filament can be difficult to recycle. A filament recycler grinds these materials into digestible pieces, melts them, and extrudes them into new filament strands.

Reduced Waste

When recycled, paper becomes a new product that uses fewer trees and other natural resources. This also saves energy and reduces pollution. Many printer manufacturers have recycling schemes, allowing you to recycle your cartridges guilt-free. These schemes are usually free and can be done online. If you don’t recycle your printers, they’ll end up in landfills and can leach chemicals into the soil or air. These toxins can damage the environment and hurt humans as well. When disposing of a printer, remove all accessories and parts before dropping them off for recycling. These accessories can be repurposed or used for other purposes, including being sold at thrift stores and other sales outlets. 

Reduced Costs

Printing is expensive, and over-printing is a huge waste of resources. Reducing printer waste and printing costs can help your business lower expenses, minimize environmental impacts, and promote sustainability.

Using a 3D printer filament recycler and implementing policies to reduce unnecessary printing can help you cut costs. For example, setting up a warning trigger on large prints can encourage employees to consider the full cost of their print jobs before proceeding with them. In addition, replacing old devices with new ones with energy certifications will reduce power use and lower your electric bill. Additionally, many printer manufacturers offer buyback and recycling programs to pay for your old device and ship it to a recycling center. These centers specialize in separating and processing e-waste to ensure the safe disposal of your old printer.

Reduced Carbon Footprint

A carbon footprint measures the volume of greenhouse gases (GG) emitted during a company’s operations. Companies can reduce their carbon footprint by using a variety of strategies.

The easiest way to cut back on paper use is to avoid printing documents unless necessary. However, this approach is only practical for some companies. To make a real impact, companies should implement eco-friendly printing policies and leverage document management services to digitize paper documents. Additionally, businesses should retire outdated equipment and consolidate to fewer energy-efficient printers. Credible managed print service providers (MPS) offer toner cartridge recycling programs and conduct comprehensive print assessments that help businesses minimize their environmental impact. Purchasing offsets can also help businesses reduce their carbon footprint. However, offsets often provide little additional benefit compared to traditional energy conservation measures.

Reduced Energy Consumption

The manufacturing of paper uses a significant amount of energy. It also consumes a lot of water and uses harmful chemicals in the bleaching process. By recycling paper, you can reduce energy consumption and environmental waste. You can also opt for eco-friendly papers with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content sourced from well-managed trees or sustainable tree plantations with chlorine-free processing.

In addition, you can save on paper by using double-sided printing and smaller font sizes to reduce usage. You can also pay your bills online, use paperclips over staples, and rely on envelopes instead of file folders to keep documents organized. 

Reduced Noise

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), the world’s most widely used 3D printing technology, works by melting and extruding small plastic strips. These are laid down layer by layer until a three-dimensional object is complete.

PLA scraps, discarded rafts, stray solidified gobs from the nozzle, and other debris can be recycled into new filament to print more projects. This reduces waste and costs while also reducing environmental impact.

Many local maker spaces and 3D printing stores collect leftover PLA filaments from users, offering brand-new, reusable filament spools in return. This is a great way to decrease waste and promote sustainability in the 3D printing industry.