Laundry Basket (Hamper) Handle Reinforcement

This is a quick practical print solution to a problem I was having.

My partner loves these flexible laundry baskets, but we find that after some use, the handles often split, making them difficult to carry around. We didn't want to buy more baskets, creating more plastic waste, so I headed over to Tinkercad to design a quick solution.

The result is a printed reinforcement that can be glued to the existing handle (I used E6000 flexible adhesive).  A single handle works great before there is an issue, but an additional interior handle may be needed if a break has already occurred.

Two different sizes are included, but should be easily modifiable to fit other baskets.

Print Settings:

   0.2mm Layer Height
   6 Perimeters (for extra strength in stress areas)
   100% Infill
   Material: TPU; PETG; ABS*
   
   *I had to use a heat gun to shape the ABS after printing to match the contour of the basket

I hope that others can find use for this model or it sparks additional ideas for using 3D printing to reduce waste.