Troubleshooting

Can I recycle failed prints and filament scraps?

Q: Can I recycle failed prints and filament scraps?

These threads do not show a home extruder making usable filament. A comment on the scrap thread says the machines they tried fail on diameter, and the catalog alternative is a recycled spool that already has a nozzle range.

First in this ranking: Protopasta Recycled PLA.

Nozzle195–225 °C(383–437 °F)
Bed50–70 °C(122–158 °F)
Speed—
Dry—
Density1.24 g/cm³

Ranked filaments

Rank	Filament	Material	Nozzle	Bed	Price / kg	Datasheet	Buy
1	Protopasta · Recycled PLAProtopasta Recycled PLA lists a nozzle of 195–225 °C (383–437 °F) and a bed of 50–70 °C (122–158 °F) in the Open Filament Database. This is a sold recycled spool, not a home-extruded one.	PLA	195–225 °C (383–437 °F)	50–70 °C (122–158 °F)	—	—	Amazon ↗
2	SMART MATERIALS 3D · Recycled PLASMART MATERIALS 3D Recycled PLA lists a nozzle of 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) and a bed of 50–70 °C (122–158 °F) in the Open Filament Database. Drying is not stored.	PLA	190–230 °C (374–446 °F)	50–70 °C (122–158 °F)	—	—	Amazon ↗
3	Protopasta · Recycled PETGProtopasta Recycled PETG lists a nozzle of 235–275 °C (455–527 °F) and a bed of 70–80 °C (158–176 °F) in the Open Filament Database. Drying is not stored.	PETG	235–275 °C (455–527 °F)	70–80 °C (158–176 °F)	—	—	Amazon ↗

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Buy a recycled spool with a published nozzle range, or throw the scrap out. The threads that try to turn failed PLA into filament describe diameter trouble, and they do not leave a recipe.

Home extrusion

r/3Dprinting scmyt8 asks what to do with PLA scrap. One retrieved comment links the Open Source Ecology filament-extruder wiki. The other retrieved comments are jokes.

r/3Dprinting 105khdk asks whether scraps can be recycled. A comment says the extruders they tried do not work well, because diameter variation makes the result unusable unless the person is lucky. Another comment says look at Precious Plastic. r/3Dprinting 15hyksn repeats the scrap question. A comment there is about modifying a 12-sheet paper shredder. Neither thread names a curbside PLA program.

r/3Dprinting t5hl5s is a first attempt at melting scraps. A retrieved comment says not to melt plastic in an appliance you cook with. Drying is for a spool that will be printed again. It is not a melting temperature.

r/ender3 12273n7 is an empty spool, not the plastic. A comment mentions a robot that used a spool as a cable holder.

Recycled filament you can load

Protopasta Recycled PLA lists 195–225 °C (383–437 °F) and a bed of 50–70 °C (122–158 °F). SMART MATERIALS 3D Recycled PLA lists 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) and 50–70 °C (122–158 °F). Protopasta Recycled PETG lists 235–275 °C (455–527 °F) and 70–80 °C (158–176 °F). PLA and PETG are the hubs. Protopasta and SMART MATERIALS 3D are the brand pages.

Prusament PLA Recycled is in the catalog with no nozzle and no bed, so it is not in the ranking. PLA printing is how to print a PLA that does have a range. Filament quality is what inconsistent diameter looks like once it is on the printer.

Pros and cons

Pros

The ranked rows are commercial recycled filament with stored nozzle and bed ranges.
Diameter variation stays a comment about home extruders, not a number invented for these products.

Cons

No thread here names a municipal PLA stream that accepts failed prints. Empty-spool reuse is a different object from the plastic itself.
Prusament PLA Recycled has no listed temperature, so the brand people expect is the one this page leaves off the table.

Printer considerations

On r/3Dprinting 105khdk a comment says the inexpensive extruders they tried do not work well, because diameter variation makes the filament unusable unless the operator is lucky. Another comment names Precious Plastic.
On r/3Dprinting t5hl5s the post is a first attempt at melting scraps. A retrieved comment says it is not safe to melt plastic in an appliance you cook with, because the fumes and the residue are unknown.
Prusament PLA Recycled is in the catalog with no nozzle and no bed. It is not ranked, because a blank temperature is not a printing instruction.

Printer limits

What the community says

r/3Dprinting scmyt8 asks what people do with PLA scrap and failed prints. The comments retrieved from the archive are mostly jokes, plus a link to the Open Source Ecology filament-extruder wiki. r/3Dprinting 105khdk and r/3Dprinting 15hyksn ask if scraps can be recycled or should go in the bin. On 105khdk a comment says tried extruders fail because the diameter varies. Another says check Precious Plastic. On 15hyksn a comment describes modifying a 12-sheet paper shredder. r/ender3 12273n7 asks what to do with an empty spool. A comment mentions an FRC robot that used a spool to hold cable. r/3Dprinting t5hl5s is baked scrap, and a comment rejects melting plastic in a cooking appliance.

Sources & notes

Accessed 17 October 2026.

Protopasta brand site manufacturer
SMART MATERIALS 3D brand site manufacturer
Open Filament Database, Protopasta Recycled PLA other
Open Filament Database, SMART MATERIALS 3D Recycled PLA other
Open Filament Database, Protopasta Recycled PETG other
Open Filament Database, Prusament PLA Recycled other
Community source, r/3Dprinting t5hl5s reddit
Community source, r/3Dprinting scmyt8 reddit
Community source, r/3Dprinting 105khdk reddit
Community source, r/ender3 12273n7 reddit
Community source, r/3Dprinting 15hyksn reddit

Answer JSON · Markdown

Questions

Does Prusament PLA Recycled list a nozzle temperature?

No. The Open Filament Database record for Prusament PLA Recycled has no nozzle and no bed. Protopasta Recycled PLA lists 195–225 °C (383–437 °F) and 50–70 °C (122–158 °F). SMART MATERIALS 3D Recycled PLA lists 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) and 50–70 °C (122–158 °F).

Can I melt scraps in a kitchen oven?

A comment on r/3Dprinting t5hl5s says no, because a cooking appliance would pick up unknown fumes and residue. That thread is not a printing temperature. The drying guide is the page for drying a spool, which is a different job from melting scrap.