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stormtrooperguy · Expert Joined: 24 Sep 2009 Posts: 126

Mainly for the hobbyist, since pros have a whole different set of problems.

What do you do with the scraps from your vac forming projects? I hate just throwing it away. That's pretty environmentally unfriendly.

I've talked to a few places around me and no-one seems to want styrene scrap. ABS they'll take, but not HIPS.

jdougn · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:17 pm Post subject:

Wow, you're doing better than I am. No one around here will even take the ABS unless it's over 5000 lbs. But you're right, it always seems a shame to just throw it away.
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LaughingCheese · Expert Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 138

Is there anyway you could melt the plastic into each other to make new sheets?

I have no idea how the plastic is made but it would be cool to reuse the stuff, given how bad it can be for the environment.

Benjaminvegeta · Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 12:41 am Post subject:

You won´t be able to melt the pieces together into 1 nice sheet. when heating in the oven the new sheet will most likely tear apart at the joining edges.
a sheet for vacuforming should be extruded with a special machine. and those are expensive.

I will use the plastic scraps for mixing 2 component stuff like car body filler. Another thing I want to try someday is to throw the scrap into a blender. And then use the tiny plastics to thicken resins.

In general there are lots of possibilities for the scraps to be used. I throw them in a huge box and then take some out when needed. The plastic scraps kann be cut and trimmed to form nice and new tools, for example for sculpting small details into clay.
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MonkeyTrooper · Newbie Joined: 14 Aug 2009 Posts: 6

Most recycling centers take plastics, some more types than others. HIPS/PS is #6, ABS is #7, PETE is #1, and HDPE is #2. The rest I doubt many or anyone would vac form.

Also Laird plastics will take it all. They will buy it back if you are recycling a 1000 lbs at a time.

stormtrooperguy · Expert Joined: 24 Sep 2009 Posts: 126

I found a place that will take it. I have to pay for disposal, but it's $6 / 55 gallon bag of scrap, so it's not bad. Better than a landfill!

kayaker43 · Expert Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Posts: 175

Yeah it bothers me too,.. I once saved up a years worth of yogurt cups (300+) then found out they were #7 or something the recycler wouldn't take. I ended up shipping them back to Dannon with a nasty letter. I boycot Boston Market because you end up with a mountain of plastic that was just used to get your food from the counter to the table, then sits in a landfill for 100 years.

I never found anyone to take Styrene scraps in small quantities. I even thought about giving away free re-usable #6 recycling symbols so you could lay them on the scrap areas. Some recyclers won't take unmarked plastics.
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Doug Walsh
www.build-stuff.com
Hobby-Vac and Proto-Form machine plans

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MonkeyTrooper · Newbie Joined: 14 Aug 2009 Posts: 6

I guess that I'm lucky that I have a local recycling center that takes #1-7 plastics.

jegner · Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 1:35 pm Post subject:

I have struggled with this as well, and so far my city takes the plastic as part of a recycling program. But with the current budget crunch, I don't know how much longer that city service will last.

One way is to chop it up, either small scale with a blender, or with a wood chipper. Then, using a heater, and a double boiler, you could melt the plastic sheets down, and pour ingots out of it. OR, get into injection molding, and use the plastic for that! Shocked

stormtrooperguy · Expert Joined: 24 Sep 2009 Posts: 126

the wood chipper thing is something that has come up. i was wondering if the plastic would damage the chipper at all.

sulla · Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 11:44 am Post subject:

You can always make styrene weld for your scratch builds with some of it...
http://www.therpf.com/showpost.php?p=1141574&postcount=26
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jdougn · Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 7:19 pm Post subject:

stormtrooperguy · Expert Joined: 24 Sep 2009 Posts: 126

kayaker43 · Expert Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Posts: 175

Check your recycling rules? I spent time at a large recycling center. They dump a load of plastic on an empty floor and a guy makes a judgement call whether it matches what they want #2 #3 etc.. If it looks good they bulldoze it into one pile. If he sees mixed plastics or wrong materials, it gets bulldozed into another pile that goes to the landfill. They won't take chances with contamination, they only get paid for good batches and get fined for polluted ones.

We all mean well but can sometimes do more harm than good when trying to trick the recyclers into taking something they shouldn't.

They are starting to get more tolerant of plastic types as their sorting methods get more sophisticated but when you see specific numbers, don't disregard them or you could cause an otherwise good batch to go to the landfill.
_________________
Doug Walsh
www.build-stuff.com
Hobby-Vac and Proto-Form machine plans

Also other plans books and videos for people who like to build things

stormtrooperguy · Expert Joined: 24 Sep 2009 Posts: 126

our town takes all plastics 1 - 7. if i remember right, hips is #6, so it should be safe.

it's probably worth calling the town though just to confirm.