Ridwell has arrived in Austin!
Austin is known for great music and great tacos, but did you know that it is also leading the way in waste reduction? The City of Austin has a goal of reducing the amount of waste that goes to the landfill by 90% by 2040, and Ridwell is here to help!
Our mission is to help you keep your stuff out of landfills by giving new life to hard-to-recycle materials and providing much needed items to your local communities. In just a few short years, Ridwell members across the country have saved over 4 million pounds of waste from the landfill — and we couldn’t be more excited to have the beautiful ATX join us on our mission.
Ridwell started as a neighborhood effort by a father — our CEO, Ryan — and his 6-year old son, Owen, in Seattle. What began as a mission to figure out what to do with the batteries in their junk drawer quickly grew into a list of over 4500+ neighbors wanting their stuff diverted too. This family weekend project has now grown into the Ridwell that we know today: a thriving service with over 50,000 members who are wasting less together.
So, how does it work?
Using Ridwell is easy!
Members receive a Ridwell bin and a set of reusable cloth bags
Members fill their bags with batteries, light bulbs, plastic film, threads, and the rotating featured category (such as books, small electronics, or non-perishable food)
Members use their online member dashboard to opt into pickups, select add-ons, and check upcoming featured categories
Drivers collect full Ridwell bags every two weeks and leave empty bags in the bin
Ridwell makes sure the collected items are responsibly reused and recycled by partners dedicated to wasting less
“I’ve been looking for ways to reduce waste into landfills. I’m so glad Ridwell is available to provide reliable recycling, reuse options and they pick up too!”
What’s our mission?
To put it simply: We know you want to waste less, and we want to help you do that!
So much of the stuff we toss out can live a second life through reuse or recycling. Our goal is to help fill in the gaps in curbside recycling, reduce contamination, and support local reuse organizations. We’re here to complement and build upon the amazing foundation that the City of Austin and others have built so we can achieve our 2040 goals together. We want to have an impact on a national scale, but with a hyper-localized approach.
Plus, we’re creating an awesome experience for our members — the true heroes in our mission to create a future without waste!
Why Austin?
We love communities that are passionate about sustainability, value nature, and who are creatively innovative. We are inspired by the city’s commitment to zero waste, and we know that Austin is all of that, and so much more! We are thrilled to be here and to also be collaborating with so many incredible local residents and organizations.
Here’s what we would love for you to know about us
We believe:
Wasting less should be easy. Getting rid of things in an earth-friendly way should be simple and enjoyable.
Small actions add up. Filling up our reusable cloth bags may feel like a small step towards a more sustainable world, but those little actions are what have led to our members diverting millions of pounds from landfills.
Together we can build a better future. Our members propel us toward new opportunities to help them waste less — we’ve even created entirely new recycling streams as a result of their input! Acting as the engine of the change we seek to create, our members are our motivation and north star as we move forward.
We offer:
Twice a month pickups from your front door. We want wasting less to be easy, so all you need to do is sort your items and place them in your bin. We take care of the rest.
Partnerships with innovative recyclers and trusted community organizations. Vetted by our team and chosen with intention, the recyclers and local groups we partner with give your items a second life. Some of the local organizations we’ll be working with in Austin include Austin Creative Reuse, Yellow Bike Project, Dress for Success, Austin Humane Society, BookSpring, and Trashless.
Transparency about where your items go. We know how frustrating it can be to wonder whether your stuff is really being reused or recycled once it leaves your home. That’s why Ridwell is redefining transparency for the waste industry by giving you a detailed look at where your materials end up. Check out our transparency page to see how much we collect, how much is saved from the landfill, and the partners it all goes to.
An experience that puts you, the member, first. This means labeled bags for easy sorting and storage, pickups scheduled and confirmed by text, a dashboard to see your upcoming featured categories, and a phenomenal member success team ready to answer questions and help find solutions to even the trickiest reuse/recycling challenges. We’re also dedicated to improving our process and we never settle — so keep an eye out for a Ridwell phone app coming soon!
We hope you will get to know us and let us show you how easy it can be to waste less. Join Ridwell today by signing up at ridwell.com/join/austin. Together our small actions will make a huge impact!
