Samantha Snabes spoke at the “The Future is Garbage: 3D Printing From Recycled Plastic” panel on Friday, March 9. Snabes is the co-founder and CEO of re:3D, a company that emphasizes the effective use of 3D printing, and ways to make it available to those in developing countries. Their flagship technology is the Gigabot, a more affordable option to 3D printing that involves the process of using recycled plastics to create new, usable objects.

“We need to truly think smart about the ecosystem”

The Gigabot is able to print at a much larger volume than its desktop competition, and aims to help reduce the amount of plastic waste on earth by simply repurposing the plastic into filament for the 3D printers. The Gigabot starts at $8,550, and currently exist in 50 countries worldwide. With over 80% of plastic in landfills, this is an extremely important conversation to be having, in order to explore options on keeping our planet healthy. Check out the interview below to learn a little more about the panel at re:3D.

Another beneficial outcome of this technology was artificial coral reef structures. After the devastating hurricane season in 2017, Puerto Rico was destroyed in many different aspects. The coral reefs holding the ocean’s ecosystem together was destroyed, thus causing many problems in the aftermath of the hurricanes. There are currently no recycling centers in Puerto Rico – and this is something Snabes hopes to change. By recycling their plastic, they can help build artificial coral reefs to help their coral reef system grow back quicker in order to help restore their environment. Snabes and her team study the aesthetics by scanning coral, to help accurately replicate and regrow the ecosystem.

“We believe in economic empowerment, accessibility, and employment opportunities.”

Re:3D is also currently hiring those who have experience with 3D printing. Check out their job opportunities here.