Resources

If you are new to plastic recycling at a desktop scale, start with Plastic types to understand what you are working with, then move to the Plastic identification tool to test what you have on hand. From there, Our top 5 plastic types helps you pick the materials most suited to the Sustainable Design Studio machines. If you prefer a structured route, the Learning path at the top of this page walks you through eight guides in sequence, from identifying plastic through to making your first recycled product.

The most approachable plastics for home and small-workshop recycling are HDPE, PP, and PET. HDPE comes from milk bottles, shampoo containers, and detergent bottles and shreds and injection moulds cleanly. PP is used in bottle caps, food containers, and ice cream tubs and behaves similarly. PET is what drinks bottles are made from; you can turn it into 3D printer filament using a Filament Maker, following the PET bottle preparation guide. Our top 5 plastic types covers which plastics are most worth collecting and which to avoid.

Not to learn. The Plastic types, Plastic identification, and Good product design guides are all useful background reading with no machine required. When you are ready to make something, you will need a Desktop Shredder V2 or Shredder Mini V2 to break plastic down into flakes, and either an Injection Mini V2 for moulding small products or a Filament Maker for making 3D printer filament. The Example workspace setups & budgets page shows real configurations people have built, at different budget points.

At a minimum, safety glasses, nitrile gloves, and cut-resistant gloves when handling shredded flakes. When heating or extruding plastic, add a respirator rated for organic vapours and run a Fume Extractor V2 if you are working indoors. The Basic PPE guide covers everything in detail, including brand recommendations for each item, and Basic workshop tools lists the non-PPE equipment you should have on the bench before you start.

Injection moulding suits small, repeatable parts where finish quality matters; 3D printing suits prototypes, one-off designs, and larger or hollow shapes. The 3D printing vs injection moulding guide breaks down cost per unit, production speed, material options, and design constraints for each. If you are leaning towards injection, the Injection Mini V2 handles flake volumes up to roughly 20 grams per shot and pairs well with our premium moulds or 3D printed inserts you design yourself.