Wally-Vault: Repurposed Walmart Bag Spool Container

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.