As you know from our course on building a plastic recycling heat press (How to Build a Plastic Recycling Heat Press for Less Than $300 USD), a heat press is a valuable tool for creating new products from recycled plastic. But it’s important to remember to prioritize safety when using your heat press.

One key safety precaution is using very good ventilation or fans whenever you are melting plastic. A recent research article (Investigation on Gas Release from Recycled Plastic Shopping Bags during Melting at Low Temperatures) investigated the gases released during this process. The study found that melting plastic at low temperatures can release harmful fumes, including:

• Alkanes, with methane being the most common gas released at higher temperatures.
• Alkenes, in lower quantities than alkanes.
• Phthalates, a toxic substance released in small amounts.

By using ventilation and working in a well-ventilated area, we can significantly reduce our exposure to these harmful fumes.

Thank You to the Researchers!

I’d like to take a moment to thank the researchers behind the referenced study for their valuable contribution to our understanding of plastic waste recycling. Their research helps to ensure that the WF23 heat press can be a safe and sustainable tool for managing plastic waste and creating new products, potentially empowering over 1 billion people to turn trash into treasure!

Want to Dive Deeper?

For those interested in further details, you can download the full research paper here.