ArticleAuthors: Jean L. Bossart; Sara Russell Gonzalez; Zachary Greenberg (2020)
3D printing services are an increasingly popular offering in
many academic library makerspaces. However, failed prints,
and simply the printing process itself, can generate substantial
waste. Through a grant from a regional library consortium, the
feasibility of recycling waste 3D plastic and reconstituting it
into new 3D printing filament was explored and tested. Other
3D printing makerspaces on campus have asked about recycling
waste filament or providing that material to the library
to recycle. This paper will discuss the methodology, benefits,
and challenges of recycling 3D printing filament in an effort
to make 3D printing more sustainable. 
