3D printing and the enviroment #teamseas

[sundancer 42972xp 1]

Yes, it’s a hot topic but an important one none the less.

Maker’s Muse made a very interesting and comprehensive video on it:

And under the hashtag #teamseas multiple YouTube creators have started a call to action to save what is left of our environments. A very worthy cause I feel.

What I am curious about: what do you do with your failed prints, left over supports and test prints? Chug ’em in the bin? Hide them from the wife?

Or go completely mental, build your own plastic shredder and create new filament from it? Like these guys:

[collins 16358xp 3]

I just bin them. there isn’t much more I can do as if I did use a recyclable material the recycling centres would not be able to identify the material easily (no markings on them eg PET, PLA etc) and it would still end in landfills or somewhere else to be dumped.

[hawker2000 442xp 1]

Our plastic in the UK gets sent abroad to be burnt because it is cheaper.

[sundancer 42972xp 1]

Which brings up the question: is it still cheaper after Brexit? And is it wise to send off potential precious resources? It’s certainly no good option to just burn it.

[hawker2000 442xp 1]

Try telling that to the countries responsible, who really don’t give a shit!!!, It pollutes the enviroment and people are dying in those countries where the burning is taking place because of the toxic fumes.

 

[jamescutts 6924xp 3]

The environmental side of our hobby is a worry for me, from the plastic sprues that cant be recycled (not easily) through to 3D printing, I think as hobbyists we tend to brush it aside as a necessity for our enjoyment much the same as any other hobby does, take motoring enthusiasts for example.

Plastic-wise, as the hard plastic sprues cannot be recycled (at least locally) I put these in the bin, alongside failed prints from my filament printer. Better than putting them, in the plastic waste where they will just get shipped abroad if its no an accepted type or identifiable.

While not ideal I do know that all my local general waste goes to the Local Energy Recovery facility, we closed our landfill sites several years ago. Basically, the waste gets burned, the energy from this is used for the district heating system in the city center alongside power being generated. So while not perfect this at least reduces the number of fossil fuels that would otherwise be used. So from a hard plastic and filament point of view, I feel I’m doing the best I can, much better than the waste sitting in a landfill site.

What worries me much more about 3D printing is the resins, these are highly toxic to the environment with basically no regulation, I was mortified when @johnlyons mentioned rinsing “water washable” resin under the tap and down the sink, that’s going straight into the environment. For this I put the blame mostly on the Chinese companies that are making and pushing these printers and their marketing, they simply want to produce and sell more products any way they can, there’s very little solidly reliable educational material on how these substances should be handled and the marketing around “water washable” is very missleading.

[sundancer 42972xp 1]

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[captainventanusParticipant 4936xp 3]

The environmental side is a thing and it’s going to more of a thing in this industry. Years ago FFG’s practice of putting every little item in its own little plastic bag is what first got me to rethink. Having collected a removal box full of GW sprues from 2-years worth of building GW kits made me re-access things to. No I am not going to stop by miniatures overnight, my main projects I will see through to their conclusion. But I do think twice if I think I need something new. That is also a reason I don’t back the large KS games even if I wouldn’t mind playing the odd one – once.

It is one of the major reasons I did not get a PLA printer and while I did get a SLA printer I am conscious of the waste it creates, try to limit it and split up what I can.

 

[jamescutts 6924xp 2]

Very similar sort of realisation myself @captainventanus, its not stopped my buying things but i now think twice before I do and the environmental impact is a nice reminder to not go mental.

I’ve been trying to purchase my hobby items from more local companies to try and limit the global shipping, being in the UK and next to the lead belt thats thankfully pretty easy. Same with the large Kickstarter games, I just cant stand the crazyness of recieving a huge box, shipped at expense both monetary and environmentally halfway round the work for it be hardly played, the likes of Mythic was the big wake up call for me on this, minis in a box 10x the size needed.

Intresting thought on going the SLA printer route and minimising waste. I sort of regret buying my PLA printer, its just gobbled upgrades or spare parts, manily just sits in a corner, has little resale value and made me realise i would have been better spending more on a Prusa, that while expensive would just work, saving waste, less shipping distance on it, no real need to keep tweaking of upgrading and more enviromentally friendly spools using card.

 

[tankkommanderParticipant 6421xp 2]

In the UK recycling is very patchy in different areas. Where I live they will only take plastic bottle. ALL other plastic, even if marked as recyclable, goes in the household waste to either be incinerated or to land fill.

Our hobby has a BIG problem with waste. A company like GW, which manufactures in the UK and has stores, could set up a return system for GW marked sprue plastic. This is not really practical for other companies.

Most manufacturers COULD reduce or alter packaging to be more environmentally friendly. As nobody talks about this there is not pressure to get it done, unless governments actually tax single use plastic heavily or outright ban it.

The entire hobby is about pushing new plastic products. There is no incentive to discuss this issue. 3D printing, if done at hubs, could help reduce waste. Home printing is just adding to the problem as people will print more than they need, and won’t have facilities to recycle waste.

[captainventanusParticipant 4936xp 2]

One would have to do a calculation if printing at home consumes  less than factory shipped products. I wouldn’t think so though.  The whole 3D printing movement has rather glossed over this aspect in the same way manufacturers have too. The problem with 3D printing is not only the operational waste, but the fact the majority of manufacturers aren’t building them with components to last. An LCD display with say 1000-hours in it isn’t going to last that long before having to be replaced and that’s complicated to recycle.

The industry needs to change its attitude to packaging. FFG packaging that looks nice on a shelf – looks big enough to warrant the price – and is 75% empty. Just got a card game today of which 90% of the packaging was effectively empty. GW has sort of reigning things in through the more complex sprues that are more compact so take up less space. On the other had al the customisable pieces increases the waste as let’s face it the “for the bits box” mantra just doesn’t work like that in real life.

[jamescutts 6924xp 1]

I completly agree that large companies should have to accept returned used sprues, GW are the best placed having physical stores. How exactly that might work I guess needs identifying and would the offset of return shipping negate any impact?

I guess another challenge is how recycable are plastic sprues, I doubt they could be using again in the same process so would probably have to go into products using recycled material? Similar case for metal minis, the metal is perfectly recycable, thats how the material is used for casting but you do end up with various bits from spruegates here and there.

 

Interstingly when Victrix moved away from boxed packaging to plastic bags I think they stated the environmental impact being part of the reasoning. That potentiall makes sense, theres a lot of effort going into carboard, box production, printing and then for many the plastic wrapping (which is unecessary).

[jamescutts 6924xp 0]

I’ve not see the new warcradle minis and packaging but maybe the beasts of war team could provide a gateway to opening the discussion with a manufacturer or maybe a distributor in wayland games.

I think theres plenty in the hobby who have these concerns, theres just no real way to get them across short of stopping buying toy soldiers, which anyone who buys toy soldiers knows is not something that can be done.

[ced1106Participant 6224xp 1]

I’m sure the amount of waste from the hobby is miniscule compared to, say, single use packaging for take out.

[visagoParticipant 99xp 1]

For resin printing has anyone tried the plant based resin from Anycubic?  It is suppose to be compostable/biodegradable if it is ground up.  I have also read that it doesn’t require Isopropyl to clean.  I’m just starting to get into resin printing and already picked up some of the Elegoo resin.  Kind of wish I had noticed this stuff first to give it a try out of the gate.  Especially with winter coming since the Anycubic stuff is also suppose to be low oder.

This is a link to their product page.  It is a little pricier but if what they advertise is true I don’t mind paying a little extra so the world burns a little less.

{Get 3 for the price of 2} Anycubic Plant-based UV Resin 0.5KG

 

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