How to Dispose of 3D Printing Waste
Making 3D Printing Safer for You and for the Environment
Let’s be real for a sec, shall we? We all love the result of 3D printing—that crisp, high-detail hero ready for paint. But the cleanup? The piles of sticky supports, the crusty paper towels, and that jar of “forbidden soup” (dirty IPA)? Yeah, that’s the part nobody puts on Instagram.
Many of us just panic and hoard this stuff in bags, afraid to throw it away. Or worse, some folks chuck it straight in the bin.
Please, don’t do that.
Throwing uncured resin in the trash is a chaotic evil move. It’s bad for the water, bad for the wildlife, and just bad karma. But don’t worry! No hazmat suit is needed. You just need to understand a little bit of alchemy. You have the power to turn this toxic waste into totally safe, boring trash using one free resource: the Sun.
The Golden Rule: If It’s Wet, It’s a Threat.
The difference between “hazardous chemical waste” and “regular old garbage” comes down to one thing: UV Light.
Liquid Resin: This is the bad stuff. It’s toxic to aquatic life and irritating to your skin. You cannot bin it.
Cured Resin: Once the light hits it, the chemistry changes. It becomes inert, solid plastic. It’s safe to touch and, generally, safe to toss.
Your quest? Turn everything from Column A into Column B.
The “Wet Waste” (Supports & Paper Towels)
Never throw wet supports or resin-soaked paper towels directly in the trash. That’s a recipe for a leaky, toxic mess.
The Strategy:
Keep a dedicated, clear plastic container (or a clear bag) near your printer. This is for anything sticky: supports, failed prints, and those paper towels you used to wipe up a spill.
When the bucket is full, take it outside. Let it bathe in the glorious sunlight for a day. Or, if you’re impatient, toss the supports into your curing station for a few cycles. Turn the container around so the light hits everything.
Once everything is bone-dry, hard, and crispy, congratulations! You have successfully neutralized the threat. It’s now just plastic scrap and can go in your regular garbage bin.
The “Forbidden Sludge” (Dirty IPA)
This is the big one. Never, ever pour your dirty washing alcohol down the sink or toilet. Even if it looks clear, it’s full of dissolved resin. If that hits the water system, you’re causing real damage.
Instead, use the Evaporation Technique: Pour your dirty, cloudy IPA into a wide, open container (disposable aluminum trays are perfect for this).
Leave it outside in a sunny spot, well away from kids, pets, or open flames. The alcohol will evaporate into the air. The resin left behind will cure in the sun and turn into a dry, crusty “sludge cake” at the bottom of the tray. That dry sludge? Totally safe. Toss it in the trash.
If you leave your dirty IPA in a clear jar in the sun, the resin will cure and settle to the bottom. You can then pour the clean(ish) IPA off the top and reuse it for your first “dirty wash.” Reduce, reuse, recycle!
The “Empty” Bottle
You finished a bottle of resin! Huzzah! But wait—there are still a few drops of liquid inside. Do not put this in the recycling bin with your soda cans; it will contaminate the whole batch.
Open the bottle. Leave the bottle outside in the sun for a day. Let those final drops cure hard.
Once the inside is dry and cured, throw the bottle in the general trash. (Sadly, most recycling centers won’t touch these, even if cured).
Myth-Busting: Stop Trying to be a Necromancer
You might see “hacks” online about heating up old resin to “reactivate” it. Stop.
Resin is a thermoset plastic. Think of it like baking a cake. Once it’s baked (cured), you can’t un-bake it back into batter. Heating cured resin won’t turn it back into liquid; it will just burn it and release some nasty, toxic fumes. Don’t be a resin necromancer. Let the dead stay dead.
If you want to be “green,” the best way is to use less stuff!
Hollow your big models (we do this for you!) and use optimized supports (we do this for you!).
Final Thoughts
Being a responsible maker isn’t hard. It just takes a little patience.
By neutralizing your waste with UV light, you ensure that you aren’t the villain in Mother Nature’s story. It’s a simple mantra: Cure it, then bin it.
Now that your conscience is clear and your workspace is clean, get back to printing something epic!
Loot Studios can help you paint highly detailed minis, statues, and props. Choose your favorite bundle from our previous releases or sign up for Fantasy or Sci-Fi to receive a new bundle every month. You can also check out some tips on our YouTube Channel.
