Futurist Jordan Brandt of Autodesk recently published a conceptual proposal which suggested how Elon Musk could manufacture his new transportation model, the Hyperloop. Brandt, who is currently working on 3D printing and 4D printing (self-assembling, self-replicating), just did an Ask Me Anything at Reddit. In it, he addresses one of the chief concerns of manufacturing via printing: more waste. The exchange:

“Question:

Why is 3d printing so revolutionary? Is it going to replace traditional manufacturing?

Jordan Brandt:

Near term 3d printing will augment traditional manufacturing, helping us through the ‘last mile’ of automation. Long term, it’s totally revolutionary

Question:

Won’t there be a serious environmental impact from the proliferation of even more objects in the world? Or do you think that recycling technology will evolve hand in hand with 3d printing technology so that we can just reprint all our waste?

Jordan Brandt:

Imagine if you could get your $.10 bottle deposit by simply throwing your water bottle into the 3d printing recycler (like filabot). Seems like less CO2 emissions than having trucks drive around, pick everything up, recycle, and then redistribute new products?”