Renew IT recycles e-waste into 3D printing filament

Renew IT, an electronic waste recycling company, has added the UNSW-designed MICROfactorie module – designed by The University of New South Wales (UNSW) – to its national headquartered facility in Lane Cove. It will recycle the hard plastics from items like old printers and computers into material for 3D printing. Developed by and licensed to the UNSW Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre, the Plastics MICROfactorie module is the first commercial operation and use of the technology outside of the UNSW SMaRT Centre.

The center will be officially opened by UNSW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs. “After an extensive testing and commissioning phase, I am pleased to be opening Renew IT’s Plastics MICROfactorie module,” he said. “I’m excited by the positive impact that’s come from UNSW’s research, innovation, and collaborative partnerships. This facility has already demonstrated significant economic, social, and environmental benefits, so far keeping 50.4 tonnes of plastic waste out of landfills and incinerators. New jobs and revenue have also been created, and the technology is creating a circular economy where materials are used over and over again, maximizing the value of our resources.”

“Electronic goods are a growing waste problem and even though there have been some recent bans on allowing e-waste to go to landfill, that is where it often ends up. For us, the hard ABS plastics found in so many e-waste items don’t have a market, so this technology is a game changer in addressing that problem,” said James Lancaster, CEO of Renew IT. “If 3D printing feedstock can be competitively produced by recycling hard plastics, we shouldn’t be producing it with virgin materials and then importing it from overseas, where almost most of the filament in Australia comes from.”

“Recovering materials from waste has a big role to play as we move towards a sustainable future and reduce our carbon output,” said Professor Veena Sahajwalla, Founder and Director of the UNSW SMaRT Centre. “Many of the materials needed for our future needs are finite in supply, so using innovative technologies to reform waste into value-added feedstock for remanufacturing means we can also accelerate our sovereign manufacturing capability. Waste itself can, and must, be seen as a resource with economic and social benefits as we strive to be more sustainable.”

3D printing filament is currently almost entirely imported to Australia and is made from petrochemicals, so making it locally from used plastics will reduce the environmental manufacturing impacts as well as the impact of global freight.

“ABS hard plastics are currently recycled as pellets for remanufacturing, but this is very low value and energy intensive, selling at around $2 per kilo, so not a lot of it occurs compared to the amount of this plastic available. Whereas 3D printer filament sells for a lot more so this solution is a high-value solution delivering real circular economy benefits,” said Prof. Sahajwalla. “I believe Plastics Filament MICROfactories have the potential to revolutionize 3D printer filament creation. I look forward to a time when 3D printing feedstock is sourced exclusively from recycled hard plastics,” she said.