A.B. Murrow<p>I'm using a 3D printer to help me prototype a historic bridge for my banjo (details forthcoming) and I have to admit, I'm catching the 3D printing bug. I'm finding myself thinking about buying a Raspberry Pi and a framing kit to build one myself.</p><p>However, I have some concerns.</p><p>PLA, the most common 3D printing material, is a so-called "biodegradable" polymer. In previous generations, biodegradable plastics worked like this:</p><p>Plastic: I am biodegradeable!<br>*Looks inside*<br>*Non-biodegradeable microplasrics held together with corn celluose that dissolve with water*</p><p>How similar is PLA in this regard? I don't know enough chemistry to reliably tell what is going on under the surface.</p><p>My ultimate concern is that getting into this hobby will just lead to a ton of plastic pollution under the guise of green washing.</p><p>Do any makers have some notion of what the conversation is right now?</p><p>Feel free to boost, I'm curious to hear what people think.</p><p><a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/3d" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>3d</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/print3d" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>print3d</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/MakerTools" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MakerTools</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/makers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>makers</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/maker" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>maker</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/MakerFaire" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MakerFaire</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/eco" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eco</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/diy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>diy</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/environment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>environment</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/eco" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eco</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/question" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>question</span></a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/3dprint" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>3dprint</span></a></p>