Is PLA for 3D printing really biodegradable? I've buried and drowned Benchy for 2 years to find out!

2 years ago, I've burried and drowned a few 3D printed Benchies to see just how biodegradable PLA really is. It's actually much more complicated than you might think.

Special thank you to Stefan from CNC Kitchen for guest appearance! He'll also perform all the tests next year, which I'm very excited for.

* Project PLA update *
Sadly, it appears that ProjectPLA has since shut down, so I've removed the link. If you're looking for an alternative, please check TerraCycle:

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* Attributions *
"Biodegradable PLA cups" image by Cmglee.
"PLA tea bags" image by Elke Wetzig.
"Recycling bins" image by Terence Ong.

[SirYenner]

I printed a "temporary" PLA thing to hold a small solar panel. So far it's survived 6 years of the Australian sun and still going well.

[killdeer]

"Don't print useless things" 1 second later "So I printed 24 hooks"

[Paratyphi]

There's no way i send my failed prints to a recycling facility. I prefer having a full bag of them waiting patiently for the day i'll be able to recycle them myself.

[ColdFuse]

The part with the plane at the beginning 😂🤣😂🤣😂

[umbratherios]

been using plain PLA in my aquarium for more than 2 years. specifically, I printed a filter... and its still working perfectly.

[captainboing]

Wow! Good work. "Don't print useless stuff you don't need" I wear it as a badge of honour that I have never printed a "benchy" in 4 years of printing and thousands of properly useful, small-run production items and tools

[dr_jnes]

Thank you! This opened my eyes. I will now start to collect my failed prints in a separate bin and contact an PLA recycling service when it is full.

[ajlbeer]

Thanks for doing this. It's really something I feared was the case. There should be stricter guidelines on marketing claims like "ECO friendly".

[khatunamna]

I'm doing a PhD on biodegradable microplastic and the reference you used are the ones I have read. The surface area to volume ratio is small if using whole piece to test, maybe grind it to smaller pieces you will see some changes

[ThantiK]

PLA is not _compostable_ it's biodegradable. Under very specific conditions, which require a lot of heat. In fact, in many instances ABS is actually better for the environment because many cities don't have the ability to recycle PLA, but they do have facilities to recycle ABS.

[tistione]

Now that's priority mail! Great special effects with the plane, really improved since the previous video.

[fsix]

Thank you! That is important to know. I always thought it is biodegradable. The video quality is excellent too🙂

[jolio]

I'm using 3D printed PLA parts in a product I'm selling. The "biodegradable" aspect of PLA had always worried me until I watched your video. Great information! Thanks!

[justin_time]

Thank you for presenting the facts, especially in an unbiased manner!

[nicholasweiss]

Even though PLA is pretty much not bio degradable it is still better than other plastics like ABS because it is made from renewable resources and apart from processing almost co2 neutral. Even if you burn PLA you only add the co2 that corn plants took from the atmosphere before. If you burn ABS on the other hand, you add co2 that was sealed in the form of oil for millions of years.

[tzisorey]

I'd be curious to see if mycoremediation could make a difference - bury one in one of those Grow-Mushrooms-At-Home kits, and see how it goes.
Maybe try that with different types of plastics - I know that certain mushrooms (oyster mushrooms in particular) are good enough at breaking down hydrocarbon bonds, that they're sometimes used to treat soil that's been contaminated with diesel.

[jarrenvanman]

Thanks for the description update. So many creators don't bother to go back and update their videos. You are awesome!

[DoctorNemmo]

I made a filter holder for my thermos flask and discovered that the PLA filter became brittle after a few days. Hot water made it very easy to break and decompose. So, if you want to get rid of your PLA... boil it.

[marutiroma]

A thousand thanks !!!! I was afraid that this would be the case and you had great courage in making this video. I will follow the Project Plan. Thanks again.

[themecatronicaproject]

A great video! A sad conclusion though. PLA's degradability was one my proudest reasons for using it on my prints.