PLA recycling in Toronto and the GTA

Can PLA go in the blue bin in Toronto?

Generally, no. Toronto's blue bin, like the other GTA programs, is set up for packaging such as bottles, jars and containers. 3D prints aren't packaging, and there isn't enough PLA in the stream for recycling plants to separate and sell, so prints are usually sorted out and sent to landfill. Check your municipality's waste guide for its current rules.

Can PLA go in the green bin?

No. PLA only breaks down in industrial composting at high, steady temperatures. GTA green bin programs don't compost it, and compostable plastics are asked to stay out of the green bin. A failed PLA print in a backyard composter will still be there years later.

So how do you recycle PLA in the GTA?

PLA can be melted and extruded into new filament, which is the most useful thing to do with it. To make that work, it has to be collected clean and on its own, without PETG, ABS, resin or metal mixed in.

• For print shops, makerspaces and schools: use a pickup service. Spoolback drops off a labelled PLA bin and a PETG bin, collects them on a schedule, and turns the scrap back into filament.
• For hobbyists: save your PLA scrap in one container and look for a mail-in program, or ask a local makerspace if it collects scrap.

Where Spoolback collects

Spoolback picks up across the Greater Toronto Area: the City of Toronto and Peel, York, Durham and Halton regions. That includes Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa. See pickup plans and prices.

What about PETG?

PETG is chemically close to the PET used in drink bottles, but 3D printed PETG isn't accepted in blue bins either. It can be recycled into filament the same way as PLA, as long as it's kept in its own bin. The materials guide explains what goes where.