Chloe Zhang
Ridwell is a waste reduction startup that offers a pickup service for hard-to-recycle plastics and other reusable items from your doorstep. The company works with local partners to ensure that these items are kept out of landfills. Ridwell members pay between $14 and $24 a month for the service and have collectively kept 14 million pounds of trash out of landfills. The company collects plastic films, such as grocery bags and bubble wrap, and multi-layer plastics, such as chip bags, pet food bags, candy wrappers, and other packaging. Ridwell processes, bales, and ships the plastic to partners who repurpose the material. One such partner is Trex, which uses the plastic to create composite decking material.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Plastic collection | Plastic film, multi-layer plastic, grocery bags, bubble wrap, food storage bags, pet food bags, frozen food bags, stretchy plastics, plastic bags, overwrap, air pillows, etc. |
| Plastic collection frequency | Every two weeks |
| Plastic collection process | Ridwell members place plastic films in reusable cloth bags, which are picked up from doorsteps. Ridwell employees empty the bags, check for any misplaced or dirty materials, and process the plastic film through an industrial baler. |
| Plastic recycling | Partners with companies like Trex, who recycle plastic film into composite decking material through the NexTrex™ Program. Ridwell is also part of the NexTrex™ Program, which repurposes plastic waste. |
| Plastic recycling process | Machines at Trex break down plastic film into small pieces, which are combined with recycled wood elements to create composite decking material. |
| Impact | Ridwell members have collectively kept 14 million pounds of trash out of landfills. |
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What You'll Learn
- Ridwell collects plastic film, including grocery bags and bubble wrap
- The company offers a pickup service for hard-to-recycle plastics
- Ridwell is part of the NexTrex™ Program, repurposing plastic waste
- Trex recycles plastic film into composite decking
- Ridwell members save tons of waste from landfills each year
Ridwell collects plastic film, including grocery bags and bubble wrap
Plastic film is a thin, flexible, and lightweight plastic that often cannot be recycled through curbside collection. This is because it can get caught in the machinery at recycling centres, causing the entire line to stop. As a result, many people may assume that plastic film should be thrown in the trash. However, Ridwell offers a convenient solution by picking up plastic film, including grocery bags and bubble wrap, right from your doorstep.
Ridwell is a waste reduction startup based in Seattle that aims to keep trash out of landfills. The company has grown to over 200 employees and serves members across seven metro areas in seven states, including Seattle, Portland, Denver, and San Francisco. Ridwell members pay a monthly fee ranging from $14 to $24 for item pickup services, and have collectively kept 14 million pounds of trash out of landfills.
Ridwell picks up hard-to-recycle plastics and reusable items every two weeks, providing a convenient and eco-friendly alternative to curbside recycling. The company works with local partners to ensure that the collected items are reused or recycled and given a new life. For example, Ridwell is part of the NexTrex™ Program, a nationwide recycling initiative that repurposes plastic waste into composite decking material.
Through its partnership with the Trex Company, one of the largest recyclers of plastic film in North America, Ridwell ensures that plastic film collected from its customers stays out of landfills. Trex uses recycled plastics to create high-performance, wood-alternative decking, with a standard 16-foot deck board containing recycled materials from approximately 2,250 plastic bags. This partnership has helped Ridwell members save an impressive amount of waste from ending up in landfills.
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The company offers a pickup service for hard-to-recycle plastics
The company Ridwell offers a unique and convenient solution to the problem of hard-to-recycle plastics, providing a pickup service right from your doorstep. This service is a game-changer for individuals who want to reduce their environmental impact but struggle with the limitations of traditional recycling methods.
Ridwell's pickup service is specifically designed for plastics that cannot be recycled through standard curbside collection. This includes thin plastics like plastic film, grocery bags, bubble wrap, and multi-layer plastic packaging. By offering this specialized service, Ridwell fills a significant gap in the recycling ecosystem, ensuring that these challenging plastics don't end up in landfills or contribute to environmental pollution.
The process is straightforward and user-friendly. Ridwell provides its members with reusable cloth bags to collect plastic film and other hard-to-recycle plastics. These bags are then picked up directly from the members' doorsteps at regular biweekly intervals. This convenient approach saves Ridwell members the time and hassle of driving around to find specialized drop-off locations for these tricky materials.
Once collected, Ridwell ensures that these plastics are responsibly handled and given a new lease of life. They work with local partners and recycling centers to process, bale, and ship the plastics for repurposing. One notable partnership is with Trex Company, one of the largest recyclers of plastic film in North America. Trex uses the recycled plastics to create composite decking material, giving Ridwell's collected plastics a valuable second life.
Ridwell's commitment to keeping hard-to-recycle plastics out of landfills extends beyond just plastic film and multi-layer packaging. They also accept a wide range of other items that traditional recycling programs might not, including light bulbs, batteries, clothing, polystyrene foam, and more. By embracing a comprehensive approach to waste reduction, Ridwell empowers its members to make a significant collective impact on the environment.
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Ridwell is part of the NexTrex™ Program, repurposing plastic waste
Ridwell is a waste reduction startup that collects plastic waste from its members' doorsteps and works with local partners to keep them out of landfills. It offers a pickup service for plastic waste every two weeks.
Ridwell is part of the NexTrex™ Program, a recycling program that repurposes plastic waste. The program engages more than 30,000 retailers and distributors across the United States to repurpose their accumulated plastic waste. Ridwell members place plastic films in reusable cloth bags, which are then picked up, processed, and sent to Trex, one of the largest recyclers of plastic film in North America.
Trex uses recycled plastics to create composite decking material. The machines at Trex break down the plastic film into small pieces, which are then combined with recycled wood elements. A standard 16-foot Trex deck board contains recycled materials from approximately 2,250 plastic bags and is 95% recycled content.
Through its partnership with Trex, Ridwell ensures that plastic waste is kept out of landfills and given a second life. This initiative benefits Ridwell's customers by providing an environmentally responsible way to dispose of plastic waste, while also supplying Trex with a key ingredient for their products. The NexTrex Program has collected over 1 billion pounds of recyclable material, contributing to a more sustainable future.
In addition to its partnership with Trex, Ridwell also works with other companies to repurpose multi-layer plastic waste. For example, Ridwell processes, bales, and ships multi-layer plastic to partners like Arqlite, Hydroblox, and ByFusion, who create eco-friendly products such as artificial stone, water drainage material, and construction-grade building blocks.
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Trex recycles plastic film into composite decking
Ridwell is a recycling startup that offers to pick up hard-to-recycle plastics and other reusable items from your doorstep. It works with local partners to ensure that these items are kept out of landfills. The company has grown to more than 200 employees and serves over 80,000 members across seven metro areas in seven states. Ridwell collects multi-layer plastic packaging, such as bags of chips, pet food, frozen berries, candy wrappers, grocery bags, and bubble wrap, that would otherwise end up in the trash.
Trex, a composite decking company, has a program called NexTrex that recycles plastic bags and plastic film into eco-friendly composite decking, outdoor furniture, and more. The plastic bags and film are typically pelletized and then mixed with wood dust to create a decking board. Trex's products are made from up to 95% recycled plastic film and reclaimed sawdust, with locally sourced wood that would have otherwise ended up in landfills. By using reclaimed sawdust, Trex never has to cut down trees for its products. The company has been recognised for its sustainability efforts, including receiving the 2023 Sustainability Award from Lowe's and being named one of the 100 Best ESG Companies for 2023 by Investor's Business Daily.
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Ridwell members save tons of waste from landfills each year
Ridwell is a waste reduction startup that offers a convenient way to recycle hard-to-recycle plastics and other items that can't be recycled through curbside collection. The company provides a valuable service to its members by picking up these items directly from their doorsteps, saving them time and effort in finding alternative ways to dispose of their waste sustainably.
One of Ridwell's key focuses is on plastic film, which includes items like grocery bags, bubble wrap, and packaging materials. Plastic film cannot be recycled through curbside recycling programs because it is flexible, lightweight, and tends to get caught in the machinery at recycling facilities. Recognizing the environmental impact of this type of plastic, Ridwell offers biweekly pickups of plastic film from its members, ensuring that it is properly recycled and diverted from landfills.
In addition to plastic film, Ridwell also collects other hard-to-recycle plastics, such as multi-layer plastic packaging. This type of plastic is challenging to recycle through traditional channels because it is made of different plastic types fused together. By accepting these plastics, Ridwell expands the range of materials that can be responsibly recycled.
Ridwell works with various partners to ensure that the collected plastics are given a second life. One notable partnership is with Trex Company, one of the largest recyclers of plastic film in North America. Trex uses recycled plastics to create composite decking material, giving new purpose to plastic waste. Through this partnership, Ridwell members have saved an impressive amount of waste from landfills, with 800,000 pounds diverted in 2020 alone.
The impact of Ridwell's services extends beyond just plastic waste. Ridwell members can also recycle items like light bulbs, batteries, clothing, polystyrene foam, and more. By providing a convenient and eco-friendly alternative to throwing these items away, Ridwell empowers its members to make a positive impact on the environment. As of 2023, Ridwell members have collectively kept 14 million pounds of trash out of landfills, demonstrating the significant contribution of the Ridwell community in promoting sustainable waste management practices.
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Frequently asked questions
Ridwell accepts plastic film, such as grocery bags and bubble wrap, as well as multi-layer plastic, which includes packaging designed to keep food fresh, like bags for chips, pet food, frozen berries, candy wrappers, and other packaging.
Ridwell provides its members with cloth bags to store their plastic film. These bags are picked up bi-weekly from members' doorsteps. Ridwell employees then empty the fabric bags, check for any misplaced or dirty materials, and process the plastic film through their industrial baler.
Ridwell works with local and vetted partners to keep plastic out of landfills and give it a second life. One of Ridwell's partners is Trex Company, one of the largest recyclers of plastic film in North America. Trex uses recycled plastics to create composite decking material. Ridwell is also part of the NexTrex™ Program, which engages thousands of retailers and distributors to repurpose plastic waste.
