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Kade Bolen revolutionizes sustainability in Albertsons Library

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Kade Bolen, MakerLab Lead, posing with his recycler in Albertsons Library

Student Work and Revolutionizing Sustainability

When you think about student work in college, what comes to mind? Maybe it’s the  convenience of working on the same campus as your classes. Do you typically imagine transformative scholarship, and revolutionizing sustainability? Well, for Kade Bolen, a MakerLab Lead working in Albertsons Library, that’s par for the course.

Humble Beginnings

When Bolen first started working in the library, he found spools of expired 3D printer filament that couldn’t be used for projects. He saw this as wasted potential, and wanted to find a way to utilize the scrap. After tossing some ideas around through collaboration with MakerLab colleagues, Caleb Ashcraft, MakerLab manager, introduced him to the Student Sustainability Fund grant. This grant funds student-led projects that promote sustainability on campus. Bolen was thrilled by the grant’s possibilities, saying, “free money just sits there until someone uses it, so I figured I could be someone that did.”

Breakthrough

It turns out free money from the Student Sustainability Fund grant, and a little encouragement was exactly what Bolen needed to propel his idea forward. Library technology unit head Yitzhak “Yitzy” Paul provided forward momentum to Bolen by informing him of an open source kit he could modify and have up and running faster than starting from scratch. A couple weeks later, Bolen had a functional recycler.

Collaborations to Solve Barriers

Plastic needs dehydrated and shredded before it can be melted and recycled into usable filament. To accomplish this, Bolen sought support from the Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering. The Engineering Innovation Studio has a shredder and dehydrator that Bolen was able to borrow to move this project forward.

Success and Next Steps

Bolen has successfully 3D printed objects with recycled filament that are on display in Albertsons Library. Next, he’s navigating the unique challenges presented by plastic bottles like their tendency to get caught up in the shredder’s teeth. Bolen is hopeful and plans to apply for the Student Sustainability fund grant again this year to bring a shredder and dehydrator into Albertsons Library. Bolen’s dream is to have the whole operation running in house, saving plastic bottles all around campus from their landfill fates and turning them into 3D printer filament with unlimited potential. Interested students can come check out our MakerLab, and Bolen’s machine, to discover what problems our technology can solve for you.