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Disposing of and recycling filament: is PLA compostable?

Filaments5 min readUpdated: 10/2026

are explained briefly when you hover over or tap them.

The short answer for Germany: failed prints, supports and filament offcuts are not packaging and therefore do not belong in the yellow bin. In most municipalities they end up in general waste. If you have a recyclables bin (Wertstofftonne), items made of plastic are often allowed in there. PLA belongs neither in the organic waste bin nor on the garden compost heap. If you collect single-material PLA or PETG offcuts, you can also send them to a recycling service.

Exactly what may go in which bin is set by your municipality in its waste bylaws. If in doubt, take a look at the waste A to Z of your local waste collector.

Yellow bin, recyclables bin or general waste?

WasteWhere to?Why
Failed prints, supports, filament offcutsgeneral waste, recyclables bin where availablenot packaging
Foil bag from the spool, plastic packagingyellow bin or yellow bagpackaging
Cardboard packagingwaste paperpackaging made of paper
Plastic spoolsask your local waste collector, recycling servicesee below
Desiccant bagsfollow the manufacturer’s instructionsvaries depending on the desiccant

Yellow bin for packaging only. The German Environment Agency (UBA) and the consumer advice centre (Verbraucherzentrale) describe the yellow bin and yellow bag as a collection for packaging made of plastic, metal and composites. A printed part is not packaging, even if it is made of the same plastic.

Recyclables bin for items made of plastic. Some cities also collect so-called non-packaging items of the same material in a recyclables bin. The Verbraucherzentrale names Dortmund, Kamen, Unna, Düsseldorf and Cologne as examples, and Hamburg collects packaging and other items made of plastic and metal together. There, the recyclables bin is the right route for failed prints.

Otherwise general waste. Without a recyclables bin, that leaves general waste. The UBA points out that municipalities define in their waste bylaws what counts as general waste.

Never burn it. The UBA expressly warns against burning plastics in a fireplace or stove: this is a criminal offence, and incomplete combustion produces toxic gases.

Resin is a special case: liquid resin and used alcohol do not belong in household waste. How to deal with them is covered in Safety in resin printing.

Is PLA compostable?

Only under industrial conditions, and not reliably even there.

Garden compost: no. Prusa writes that PLA is only broken down in specialised composting plants. In garden compost it does not decompose, and you end up burdening the soil with microplastics instead.

Organic waste bin: no. The UBA makes clear that products made of biodegradable or bio-based plastics do not belong in the organic waste collection. According to the UBA, such plastics are broken down poorly or not at all in composting plants in larger quantities, are sorted out in sorting plants and incinerated. According to the UBA, there is so far no recycling route for them.

What the EN 13432 standard means. Many bioplastics are advertised with this standard. According to a paper by the Scientific Services of the German Bundestag, it requires, among other things, that the material breaks down by at least 90 percent within six months in a laboratory test (at around 60 °C according to NABU) and that after three months of composting no more than 10 percent remains as pieces larger than 2 mm. The standard is intended for packaging and models an industrial plant, not garden compost. According to the paper, not all composting plants accept even organic waste bags certified to EN 13432.

For 3D prints there is more: filaments contain dyes and other additives, and printed parts are usually much thicker than a film. A filament with “biodegradable” on the label is therefore no licence to use the organic waste bin. More on this in 7 myths about 3D printing.

Recycling: what is available

According to the UBA, general waste in Germany is mostly incinerated, and a smaller part is treated mechanically and biologically. Plastics end up in the incinerator as fuel, not in recycling. If you want to put your offcuts back into the cycle, you need a route of your own.

Recycling service run by a filament manufacturer. Recycling Fabrik, which itself makes filament from recycled material, accepts print offcuts by post. The conditions according to its website (as of October 2026):

  • only PLA and PETG, clean and separated by type, colours may be mixed
  • variants such as PLA+, matt, silk, HT and high speed may go in the same parcel
  • at least 2 kg per shipment
  • not accepted: ABS, TPU and other materials, foamed PLA, metal parts, parts with magnets or threaded inserts, full spools
  • shipping within Germany with a shipping label for €7.50, which comes back as credit, plus €2 credit per kilogram of single-material waste

The conditions may change, so check them on the provider’s website before shipping.

Ask your own filament manufacturer. Some manufacturers take back spools or offcuts. Whether yours does is usually stated in the FAQ or can be asked at customer service.

Collecting by material is worthwhile. Any recycling requires you to separate the materials. One box for PLA, one for PETG, and take apart failed prints with threaded inserts or magnets beforehand.

Spools

  • Cardboard spools at Polymaker are, according to the manufacturer, made of recycled cardboard and are themselves recyclable.
  • Plastic spools are bulkier. Whether they belong in the yellow bin, the recyclables bin or general waste where you live is decided by your local waste collector. According to its own list, Recycling Fabrik also takes its own spools and certain third-party spools, but there is no credit for third-party spools.

Creating less waste

The best waste is the kind that is never produced:

Sources