Haven’t had time to read it, but I’ll stick it here for now
I know that a lot of PLA filament claims to be biodegradable - how true is that? I wondered if I was careful about picking my PLA if this might actually be an option. I came across the Lomi counter top composter that claims to compost an approved list of bio plastics. What that approved list is I am not 100% sure. I haven’t found a published list yet.
PLA is biodegradable. I have experimented with help of my cousin and yes you can make off the shelf PLA break down to as far as my human vision can tell zero. Is it easy, NO. My cousin is a specialist and we used a high heat digester that was constantly monitored. Much like what a city or town uses on a small scale.
I looked at this small expensive lomi a while ago. It is all big claims but if they can manage correct temperatures and aeration it should be possible and fairly quickly.
The questions: how much power is it using? Waste, landfill is a micro sliver of a total environmental snap shot. Power often has an environmental cost as well.
Filamentum claims their nonoilen filament is fully biodegradable. Compost3d also makes the same claim. Individuals have discovered that not exactly, it still requires very specific conditions. Biodegradable is the term that means it can be full broken down to base elements using ‘natural’ methods. Compostable is the same but add no toxic or harmful remains.
The reality is it needs generally 60-80ºC for 30-90 days. Either a very specific industrial compost facility or a exceptionally well maintained digester neither are likely for a home level with out adding power.
Maybe the lomi is worth looking at maybe not. You could put a metal compost box in an oven for months too, it might work as well. Is the environmentally responsible not at all.
I don’t have an easy answer. So much environmental issues if they look simple you are missing facts. My cousin (environmental engineer / chemical engineer) points at cloth vs disposable diapers. Most people say cloth is environmentally friendly. He says it is regional, cloth using 1000 of liters of water so in water shortage areas (Nevada for example) Cloth are very unfriendly. In NS, friendly. There are no easy answers. I wish there was PET options rather than PETg. The G makes it more complex to recycle.
I wish I knew the answer, i wish I had a real answer. If the Lomi things makes for feel better that is fantastic. Where I live COAL is the generator of electricity. It doesn’t feel right to me where I live, in the 1800s…
The most sensible answer is to have the 3d printing industry start to recycle its own waste. We just are not there. I truly applaud those trying to make a filament run at home but it is more complex than printing. I hope some day there will be a unit that will grind and extrude filament that is basically self monitoring and managing. Dump dead prints and scrap in the top when it hits 1100 gms it produces a roll of new filament. PIPE dream, maybe…
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