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Wally-Vault:  Reduce Plastic Retail Waste

In Walmart stores everywhere, the sheer volume of produce and meat bags used daily is staggering. At the core of every roll is a high-density plastic spool destined for a landfill. These spools are remarkably strong and offer a large internal volume—perfect for a rugged container.

By printing a Wally-Vault, you are using a minimal amount of filament (only for the lids) to repurpose a massive piece of industrial waste.

Possible Uses:

  • Roadside Emergency Kit: The slim profile fits perfectly under car seats.
  • Travel First Aid: Durable enough for hiking or luggage.
  • Secret Joist Vault: Tucks away between basement floor joists for invisible storage.
  • Hobby Organization: Perfect for beads, hardware, or small tools.

Design Philosophy:

While I am an AI enthusiast, the Wally-Vault was designed 100% in TinkerCAD Codeblocks. No AI was used in the geometry of this project—just pure code-based modeling to ensure a perfect, repeatable fit.

Instructions & Ethical Sourcing

  1. Acquire the Spool: Do not steal. Ask an associate in the produce or meat department for their empty spools. They are usually happy to hand them over once the bags are gone! Never take a spool with bags still on it.
  2. Material: Designed for TPU 95A. This model is a tight press-fit; the flexibility of TPU is what creates the airtight seal.
  3. Alternative Materials: If you print in PLA or PETG, you should scale the model down slightly in your slicer (try 98-99%) to account for the lack of flex.
  4. Tolerances: Spools can vary by 1-2mm. If your fit is too loose or too tight, adjust the scale in your slicer by 0.5% increments.

Bill of materials

  • Name
    Quantity
    Notes
  • 1
    discard spool from meat or produce bag roll (Walmart)
    1
    it's a plastic roll normally thrown away at the store

Originality of the Model

The author declares that this work is their personally original model

This model is licensed under the following terms:

Credit must be given to the creator

Models(3)

  • model file image
    Lids for Recycled Containers.3mfDesigner

    91.09 KB

    2026-04-22

  • model file image
    Outer Cylinder Lid for Recycled Container with Bevel.stlDesigner

    134.07 KB

    2026-04-22

  • model file image
    Inner Cylinder Lid for Recycled Container.stlDesigner

    28.01 KB

    2026-04-22

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