I put PLA 3D Prints in my Compost and this happened

I left 3D prints made from four different biomaterials in my garden compost for 100 days! What happened to the parts, and how did it affect the strength if something was left? Let’s find out more!

💚 Support me 💚
Join as a YouTube member!

🛒 Equipment used in this video:

🖨 Printed models:

🎥 Related videos:

⚙ My gear (Affiliate Links):
🎥 CAMERAS & LENSES
🎙AUDIO
🔴 LIVE STREAMING

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:05 Material Selection
04:18 What is biodegradable?
05:32 Bio-based polymers
06:31 3D prints after 100 days in my compost
09:41 Strength Test
13:35 Summary
15:07 Sponsored part

#3dprinting #composting #biodegradable

DISCLAIMER: This video was sponsored by Raycon.

[CNCKitchen]

Should there be more easily bio-degradable plastics?

[NicholasRehm]

Alright maybe the PLA didn’t compost down, but I really need you to grow some corn with that compost and make your own PLA from it

[AlphaPhoenixChannel]

I never expected the degradation to be asymmetric but your explanation about percolation of stuff between layer voids makes perfect sense. Fascinating stuff!!!

[JB-yuvv]

One thing is clear: You've got really cool looking chickens!

[MihaiDesigns]

4:18 CNC Chicken :P
Joke aside, your awesome study confirms my suspicions. Hopefully we'll be getting better degradable filament in the future.

[walktxrn]

The "Small Text Sample" is amusing, but doesn't take away at all from this great video

[sidraptor]

Thank you so much for taking this issue up. A lot of folks throw away PLA thinking it's biodegradable and won't harm the environment and magically disappear. Manufacturers don't help with their 'its magically biodegradable' marketing and it seriously makes things more videos about this to educate people on proper disposal procedures even for PLA

[paulovgha]

The way you're getting more comfortable with the camera (gracefully accompanied by your improving english) is such a nice thing to keep watching! I'm grateful for subscribing and not feeling guilty for being just too lazy to bother hitting that red button like most, haha

Cheers from a brazilian fan!

[-ax-]

8:12 that’s a mycelium hyphae and at 8:27 it looks like you have mycelium growing all over the model! The fungi must really love that specific PLA

[stephandelaat]

I do composting at home. I can confirm that air rating compost significantly increases the process. All thou I do not use a drum composter I suspect it will work much better than the method you use today.

[koenvanduffel]

Working in the polymers industry (producer of initiators) I have quite a bit of exposure to this type of issues and indeed there simply is no easily biodegradable (aka in a simple home composter) polymer in existence. Even the polymerized starch bags used to collect the compostable waste compost quite poorly in a home composter and they are so weak the material would be totally useless for 3D printing

I appreciate that you are helping create awareness that this is not a problem the world can easily solve with some quick switch to a biodegradable polymer. Next to being biodegradable the problem is way bigger. If we switch to too much bio based raw materials people will die from hunger as we can only use our available fertile land once...

[keatoncampbell]

Don't knock your compost! The decomposers are healthy, the microbiome is healthy, the soil is gorgeous and the plants are happy! I think that's what's important.

[andriimartynov]

Thanks for highlighting this important topic.
I recently bought my first 3D printer and for now I’m collecting all wasted pla in the box.
Planning to melt it in the oven and make pla sheets which I can turn into planters using a heat gun or just pile them in my garage.

[mirandabeaudry]

Thank you for doing this experiment!! It’s super important that we are trying to get compostable plastics closer to the goal of total degradation at a planned time!

[someguy]

For your new composter. Perhaps building a new chicken coop where the composter is above the chicken compartment. This way the chickens benefit from the heat of the compost and the compost benefits from the heat of the chickens... lol... maybe put the composter with a mesh wrapped around it and some paddles so the chickens will be encouraged to jump up on it and rotate it. The chickens will get some exercise... maybe shake out worm... and the composter gets turned. Chicken powered composting is the future! Put those freeloaders to work!

[alexandrevaliquette]

16:06 This is epic!
You are like a shy and quiet library girl, when she arrive home...

[SockaWoW]

Those fluffy Chickens in the background are strangely satisfying to watch during Your explanation. Good work!

[wlgt]

Really appreciate your videos man, the time you take and all of the effort you put into these educational 3d printing videos.

[se.real.kiliong]

The sample text on to of the normal text at 7:35 totally took my brain away from the topic...

[RomanoPRODUCTION]

16:21 Now I realize the chicks look just like you. They're so cute and fluffy <3