What to do with empty filament spools
Hello,
being completely new (but eager to learn) to the 3d printing hobby i managed already to generate a couple of empty filament spools, which seems to be plastic waste.
As i bought the filaments here and planning to do so in the future as well i was wondering if Prusa is interested to recycle or reuse the tons of empty spools created all the time.
After all in times of sustainability and reducing plastic waste i think it would be a good sign for Prusa to reuse the filament spools.
Is there anything in place that i have missed? I tried to find a topic in the forum but did not find anything.
Looking forward to read from you.
RE: What to do with empty filament spools
Storing strings of Christmas lights is the best I've seen. You can make awkward drawers out of them.
Very few are marked for recycling. Shipping them to Prusa makes no sense, but Prusa spools use cardboard cores I believe. If you're serious about this and not just looking to dump the problem on somebody else, checkout MasterSpool spool-less refills and stop buying filament on non-recyclable spools.
and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: What to do with empty filament spools
Send back to the dealer/seller/shop to get a refund or voucher 😉
Thomas
RE: What to do with empty filament spools
@knickohr
Who offers that? Never come across it and would be useful
RE: What to do with empty filament spools
@oliver-w9
Ask your shops. My shop do this.
Thomas
RE: What to do with empty filament spools
There are a couple of places that recycle regular filament scraps (replay3d, terrafillum) ; I'd imagine once their production ramps up enough to warrant it, they'll also consider taking empty spools on which they can re-sell their recycled product. Worth keeping an eye on.
RE: What to do with empty filament spools
Core is from cardboard and sides are polycarbonate, at least those are full of holes to reduce material used 😀 They are considering ideas to re-use spools and internally they re-use them, problem is it's hard to guarantee in what conditions will customers send those back, plus they cannot ask customers to pay higher shipping costs to Czech Republic than new filament's worth.
Keep some empty spools for future Prusament contest.
RE: What to do with empty filament spools
Spools of old wire you want to save:
RE: What to do with empty filament spools
I make spool rockets. Believe it or not, they will fly quite well.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: What to do with empty filament spools
You can print a Masterspool adapter and use spool-less refills to cut down on waste.
RE: What to do with empty filament spools
Thanks a lt for the numerous replies and different ideas.
As i a am not a rocket man the idea of storing x-mas lights is the first thing i am going to realize, curing every years headache when confronted with the ultimate Gordian knot.
After that the master spool seems to be a good alternative and for the rest i guess i will probably dismantle and collect them until a Prusa solution is in place or they offer refill Filament.