Leading the Way to Zero Waste
Ridwell Members have now kept over 2 million pounds of material out of the landfill using our pickup service. Two million pounds(!) is an amazing accomplishment, but we know we are only at the beginning of our journey to zero waste, and Ridwell is committed to pushing for the broader systemic changes we need to reach our goals.
Ridwell’s service is just one part of the bigger effort to reduce the number of items Americans throw away every day, and our Members are having an impact not only through the individual changes they make, but also by being champions for the legal and societal changes around waste reduction.
We are particularly excited that some of our Members are actually leading the effort in Washington state to make much needed policy changes to begin to move toward a zero waste future. And we - as a community of concerned Members - have an opportunity to play an important role as supporters and partners in their work in the State Capitol.
That’s why we were thrilled to welcome Ridwell Members and Washington State Representatives Liz Berry (D-Ballard, Queen Anne, Magnolia) and Davina Duerr (D- Bothell, Kirkland) to our Seattle warehouse earlier this month to offer a behind the scenes look at Ridwell’s operations, and - of equal importance - discuss how the Ridwell community can be a partner in driving the development and implementation of new policies that help move us toward our zero waste goals.
Image courtesy of Zero Waste Washington
However, we must do more. With a community of over 35,000 Members (and growing every day), Ridwell is committed to standing behind these elected officials, and partnering with them to develop and pass new laws that will meaningfully shift America’s waste and consumption habits.
For instance, we would love to see a new extended producer responsibility (or “EPR”) law in Washington state next year that truly begins to shift how much waste is created. This can’t just mean dispersing costs for recycling. We need to establish new mandates and funding sources that not only expand recycling rates and recycled content in commonly used items, but start to create real markets for reuse and break our dependence on the billions of disposable items (recyclable or not!) that are further harming our environment every year.
And we are excited about partnering with legislators like Rep. Berry, Duerr and other champions to take the next big steps to address our waste challenges. By harnessing the collective power and action of the Ridwell members, we’re confident that we can power a large movement with elected officials, community leaders and private sector allies to make great things happen.
As we begin to lean into this work, we’d love to hear from you what new policies you’d like to see us advocate for or against in future — share your thoughts here!
