Irina McKenzie founded FABCYCLE in 2017 with the goal of diverting “textile waste from the landfill by engaging [the] community, connecting with the industry and working with national and international partners” (McKenzie). FABCYCLE’s mission draws many parallels with this project, including a goal of redirecting waste that has the potential to be recycled or reused, along with creating and engaging with the respective communities.
Continue reading “FABCYCLE”Current Plastic Recycling Systems for 3D Printing
Currently, there is a very limited number of public initiatives to take post-consumer plastics (PCP) from scrap to reusable filament. Although there is a list of plastic shredders and filament recycling machines available on the market, they are typically extremely expensive and time-consuming, making them unattainable for individual use, forcing people that want to pursue it to make DIY and hacked versions that often produce sub-par results.
Continue reading “Current Plastic Recycling Systems for 3D Printing”PLA Recycling: Mechanical vs. Chemical vs. Compost
After PLA is 3D printed, it can be recycled and used to 3D print again, providing it has not been combined with another substance like super glue or non-water based paint. There are three methods of recycling PLA: mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and composting. In order to quantify and compare these methods, two different systems are used to compare the three methods of PLA recycling; the restitution product system and the credit product system.
Continue reading “PLA Recycling: Mechanical vs. Chemical vs. Compost”