We were shocked to find out how much of the material we put into our main recycling bins really doesn’t get recycled. And then we learned about how little of the clothing we donated for re-use ends up overseas or in landfills. So, when we downsized and moved into our cottage, we started looking for more sustainable options for things that we declutter or empty. This led us to our latest test: Ridwell.
What is Ridwell?
Ridwell is a home service that collects hard-to-recycle items like the thin plastic film often wrapped around bread or other groceries. They responsibly keep fabric out of landfills by accepting reusable and non-reusable textiles and working with partners to recycle or donate. Think this won’t amount to much? Ridwell’s background research reports, “The average American trashes 65 pounds of old clothing each year and nearly all of it could be reused or recycled!”
Batteries, lightbulbs, multi-layer plastics (like chip bags and, again, other grocery-based plastics), and those endless Amazon mailers are all part of their collection process. Very cool, right?
Our Ridwell Trial
We had a one-month free trial and then paid for a mid-level service ($18 plastic-plus). It was perfect timing because we had a lot of textiles to recycle that we had rescued from the alley after a store went out of business (more on that wild story later).
We successfully got rid of slashed and damaged textiles using the bag inside the container that was part of the service and add-on bags that amounted to $4 per additional bag that did not fit into the container. Fair warning: The box is not that big, so if you have any big closet decluttering projects on the horizon, you will likely need to buy additional bags for pick-up.
We got rid of things like old batteries, plastic film, and clean styrofoam (which was another $10 add-on cost for the special bag). We also recycled old pill bottles that can’t be recycled in our normal city-based recycling cans.
The Pick-Up Process
The collection process could not be easier. They came every two weeks. We did not need to be home. They took everything out of the box and the add-ons from our porch. And we received a receipt of pick-up and acknowledgement of any additional costs related to our add-ons. When we did encounter the pick-up people, they were friendly and helpful.
Will We Keep the Service?
We are still pondering. As part of our move toward more sustainable living, we have already cut down dramatically on things like flimsy plastic wrappers, multi-layer plastic, etc. Now that our big textile clean-out is essentially finished, it doesn’t seem like we would consistently use that part of the service. We could go to a lower pricing tier, but even that seems like a tier we might not use often enough to justify the cost.
But if you are looking for a real recycling option for your plastics, threads, pill bottles, and batteries, the service is very well run. It could be much more convenient than taking your items to a city recycling or hazardous waste center.
Let us know if you are interested in trying the Ridwell service for your decluttering and recycling projects! We’d love to hear how you incorporated it into this year’s sustainability goals!