Ridwell expands to Portland
For Immediate Release:
NEW SERVICE HELPS PORTLAND WASTE LESS AND GIVE TRASH NEW PURPOSE
Ridwell picks up reusable hard-to-recycle items, diverting hundreds of thousands of pounds of waste from landfills
PORTLAND, Ore. – (January 5, 2021) – Ridwell, an innovative reuse and recycling service, announces the launch of its Portland home pickup service to offer the community a solution to keep household trash out of local landfills to help fight climate change. The biweekly service offers pickup of four categories of household items not accepted in Portland’s curbside recycling bins, including plastic film (produce bags, Amazon envelopes), batteries, lightbulbs and threads (clothing/shoes), as well as a fifth ‘featured category’ that most often benefits local community groups.
“Portland residents have an engaged, eco-conscious lifestyle, and our reuse and recycling mission has been enthusiastically welcomed here,” says Ridwell founder and CEO Ryan Metzger. “Over 1,500 members signed up in the first month who want to make a positive impact on the environment and want an easy solution to recycling items that are not included in the curbside bin but shouldn’t go in the garbage either. They want a clear answer to how these items can best be reused and recycled in a creative and responsible manner. We do all the leg work so they can get rid of things with confidence.”
Trash Gets New Life
Ridwell gives household trash new life by partnering with a variety of companies, including one that turns plastic film into composite lumber for decks, benches and playground sets. “In 2020, we kept 800,000 pounds of waste out of the landfill from our Seattle program alone,” says Metzger. “Since curbside recycling programs are constantly shifting, residents recycle things they shouldn’t and end up contaminating the whole bin. We fill in the missing gaps and make it easy to recycle responsibly with the knowledge that trash is finding a new purpose and staying out of the landfill.”
A rotating category every two weeks helps customers further declutter their homes and often helps a local nonprofit partner in need of specific household items. Currently, Ridwell is collecting winter clothing for Rose Haven, a day shelter for women and children. “As a small nonprofit, we benefit from the generous Ridwell customers who donate gently used winter clothing for our women and children,” says Elizabeth Starke, Rose Haven development director. “Ridwell does all the collecting and sorting for us so we can focus our efforts on giving our guests one-to-one services. Their donations arrived sorted and well-organized by size and ready to hand out to grateful women and children.”
Door-to-Door Home Pickup
Ridwell helps its members dispose of items conveniently with biweekly pickups and a Ridwell logo bin and canvas bags to separate each category. Members can opt into the scheduled pickup day or skip a week as they collect more items. Members receive an email announcing the featured category every two weeks so they can gather additional items for reuse. One new member Will (NE Portland) was drawn to the efficiency and sustainability of the Ridwell model. “It’s all about changing behaviors and creating new habits,” says Will. “We need to move to a more circular economy and Ridwell fills in the gaps and makes it easier for our family as well as many of our neighbors to avoid sending most of our trash to the landfill.”
Monthly subscriptions range from $12-$16 per month, depending on the length of commitment. Currently, Ridwell is available in most Portland neighborhoods, and the company expects to be available citywide in January with local suburbs coming soon.
About Ridwell
Ridwell makes it easy for people to waste less. By picking up hard-to-recycle and reusable items from members on a biweekly basis, the company enables smarter reuse and recycling of a vast range of household materials that would otherwise end up in the landfill or contaminating more traditional recycling services. Inspired by a six-year-old and his dad looking to recycle old batteries, Ridwell began in 2018 and now serves more than 16,000 families in the Greater Seattle Area and launched in Portland, Oregon in late 2020. Ridwell commits to transparency, education, and a great customer experience to empower their members to make better decisions about their consumption and waste. For more information, please visit www.ridwell.com.
Media Contact:
Lisa Hill PR, lisa@lisahillpr.com, 503-730-8055