Infilament - Recycle Your PLA 3D Printing Waste
Recycled PLA filament, made in Australia. We turn your 3D printing waste into locally-made filament, so failed prints stay out of landfill.
Why Infilament
- Divert Waste - Keep failed prints out of landfill.
- Made Local - Re-extruded right here in Australia.
- Sustainable - Close the loop on 3D printing.
The Recycling Pipeline
- Send Waste - Mail or deposit your PLA waste or empty spools.
- Processing - We crush, melt, and respool.
- Print Again - Buy recycled spools made from collected waste. Store credit is coming later.
Closing the Loop for Businesses
- Collect - The partnership is free and PLA only. Host an Infilament bin on site, or drop sorted PLA and empty spools at a Brisbane collection point.
- Process - We shred, clean and blend it with virgin PLA, then draw it to 1.75mm filament with 10–30% recycled content.
- Reward - Partners receive cross-marketing support and progress toward their sustainability goals. Store credit toward recycled spools is coming later.
Impact Calculator
Every kilogram of PLA waste you send us is a kilogram kept out of landfill, and every kilogram of recycled filament we produce saves about 1kg of CO2.
Recycled PLA Filament
Our recycled PLA is 1.75mm, made in Australia, and available in Charcoal and Slate. See the filament page, or meet our partners.
Our Partners
Our partners include Card Fossil, Peregrine Dynamics, Perera Labs, I'm Finna Bridge, State Library of Queensland, Makers Empire, Formfinity, and RAW3D.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Infilament?
Infilament is an Australia-based PLA recycling program for 3D printing waste. We collect PLA from makers and local businesses, then crush, melt and respool it into filament made here in Australia. Store credit toward those recycled spools is coming later. The aim is a closed loop, where the failed prints you send us come back to you as filament you can print with.
Is PLA recyclable?
Yes. PLA is a thermoplastic, so it can be crushed, melted and respooled into new filament, and that process is what Infilament is built around. The catch is that PLA needs its own dedicated stream which is why we run a separate collection program instead of pointing you at your council bin.
Can I put PLA in my kerbside recycling bin in Australia?
Generally no. Most Australian kerbside recycling programs do not accept PLA. It softens at a much lower temperature than PET or HDPE, so it is treated as a contaminant in those streams. PLA also needs industrial composting conditions to break down, so it will not do much in a home compost heap or in landfill either.
What should I do with failed 3D prints?
Do not bin them. Failed prints, supports, purge blobs, brims and unused parts are all PLA waste, and all of it can be recycled into new filament. Keep them in a separate tub as you print, then send them to Infilament or drop them at a partner collection point. The impact calculator on this page shows how much waste and CO2 your pile keeps out of landfill.
What do I get for recycling my PLA waste?
Right now, the reward is the recycling itself: your failed prints come back as locally-made filament instead of going to landfill, and the impact calculator on this page shows how much waste and CO2 your pile saves. Store credit toward our recycled spools is coming later. Businesses that partner with us also receive cross-marketing support and progress toward their sustainability goals.
What is the difference between clean PLA and general PLA waste?
General PLA waste is the everyday mix: supports, failed prints and unused parts. Clean PLA is uncontaminated - no supports, no failed prints, no foreign material - and it is the most useful input, because a purer stream makes better filament. Keeping a separate tub for clean offcuts as you print is the easiest way to improve the quality of what you send us.
Do you accept PETG, ABS or TPU?
Not at this stage. We accept PLA exclusively along with empty spools for re-use, for both individual deposits and business partnerships. Our extrusion process is tuned for PLA, and keeping the stream pure is what makes the recycled filament good enough to actually print with. Please leave other materials out of a deposit, because mixed plastics contaminate the whole batch.
Is recycled filament as good as new filament?
Our spools blend 10–30% recycled PLA with virgin PLA, with the recycled share depending on how much waste we collect. That blend and our pipeline give the new spools near-original quality compared with 100% virgin filament, holding the diameter tolerance and print reliability you'd expect from a commercial spool while still diverting real waste.
Where is Infilament based, and can I take part if I'm not in Brisbane?
We are Australia-based, with our collection network currently concentrated in Brisbane. If you are elsewhere in South East Queensland or interstate, get in touch anyway, we handle those case by case, and where the demand is tells us where to expand next. Collection is arranged with you directly once you register.
Is the Infilament program live yet, and can I sign up now?
Business collections are running now, and individuals can join the waitlist on this page. Our manufacturing pipeline is functional but still early-stage, so we are onboarding a limited number of early adopters rather than opening the floodgates. Sign up with your email and the materials you print with, and we'll come back to you as capacity opens up.
My business produces PLA waste - can we partner with you?
Yes, and the partnership is free. It's built for print farms, retailers, e-commerce brands and manufacturers. We accept PLA exclusively, starting under 20kg, then scaling up as your capacity grows. Partners receive cross-marketing support through a marketing suite: recycling partner badges, social media templates and honest, ESG-ready copy that helps meet sustainability goals.
For Businesses
Infilament also runs a free B2B collection partnership for makerspaces, print farms, retailers, e-commerce brands, and manufacturers. See Partner With Us, or host a collection bin in your space.
Contact
Email: admin@infilament.org