Manufacturing
2 min read
By Pedro Carreira
Updated 25 June 2026
3D printing businesses generate: failed prints and support material (PLA is compostable in industrial facilities, ABS is general waste), resin waste (potentially hazardous — UV-cure resins), isopropyl alcohol waste (hazardous), packaging, and general waste.
SLA/DLP resin waste should not go in general waste — arrange specialist disposal. Monthly waste: $80–300.
Recycling filament waste is limited but growing.
Key Numbers
- Monthly waste cost: $80–300
- Resin & IPA waste: Prescribed industrial waste
- Metro landfill levy 2025–26: $169.79/tonne
- Max GED corporate fine: about $2.03 million
What You Need to Know
The trap in a 3D-printing shop is treating every failed print the same. The stream splits sharply by chemistry, and getting it wrong means either contaminating recycling or breaching prescribed-waste rules.
- PLA failed prints and supports — compostable in industrial facilities only, never your green bin.
- ABS prints — general waste; no kerbside route.
- SLA/DLP resin waste — potentially hazardous (UV-cure); never general waste, so arrange specialist disposal.
- Isopropyl alcohol washing waste — hazardous liquid requiring licensed collection.
Because resin and IPA are prescribed industrial waste, the Environment Protection (Management of Prescribed Waste) Regulations 2021 require them tracked from cradle to grave via EPA's waste tracker. As an independent broker, Bundle Waste audits your invoice for free and compares a network of providers, separating compliant resin and IPA disposal from general-waste lines that should never carry a hazardous rate — you pay only from the savings we find.
Related Resources
Related Questions
What waste do printing companies produce?+
Print businesses generate: paper offcuts (30–40%), ink waste (5–10%, often hazardous), solvents (hazardous), plastic substrates (10–20%), metal offcuts (5–10%). Ink and solvents are PIW requiring EPA tracking. Monthly cost: $300–1,000.
How should a jewellery workshop manage waste?+
Jewellery workshops generate: precious metal filings and dust (valuable — recover and sell), chemical waste from cleaning solutions and acids (hazardous), polishing compounds, packaging, and general waste. Precious metal recovery can offset costs. Chemical waste requires licensed disposal. Monthly waste: $100–300.
What waste does a furniture manufacturer produce?+
Furniture manufacturers generate: timber offcuts (30–40%), upholstery waste (15–25%), adhesive and finishing chemicals (potentially hazardous), metal hardware waste, packaging, and sawdust. Clean timber offcuts can be recycled at $80–120/tonne. Sawdust extraction systems reduce airborne waste. Monthly cost: $500–2,000.
What waste does a commercial printer or sign shop generate?+
Commercial printers generate: paper/substrate offcuts (30–40%), ink waste (PIW — requires EPA tracking), chemical cleaning solutions (PIW), aluminium printing plates (recyclable at $0.50–2/kg), and packaging waste. UV-cure and solvent-based inks are hazardous. Monthly waste cost: $300–1,200. Paper offcuts should be recycled — baling earns rebates of $50–100/tonne.
How should a timber yard manage waste?+
Timber yards generate: sawdust and wood chips (30–40%), offcuts and damaged timber (20–30%), packaging (10–15%), treated timber waste (CCA — hazardous), and general waste. Clean sawdust and chips have value as landscaping mulch or biomass fuel ($0–30/tonne). Treated timber waste costs $150–250/tonne at licensed facilities. Monthly waste: $500–2,000. Sawdust extraction reduces dust hazards.
See exactly what you are overpaying
Bundle Waste reviews your current waste invoices and benchmarks them against a network of Melbourne providers — free, with a written report in 5 business days. You will see what you pay now, where the hidden charges are, and the rate we can negotiate. You only pay from the savings we find: no savings, no fee.
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Updated 25 June 2026
