Community Builder Resources

• Ridwell makes it easy to waste less. 

• Members get doorstep pickup for the items traditional recycling won't take, like plastic film (grocery bags) and multi-layer plastic (chip bags). And with Ridwell Mail-in, anyone in the US can Ridwell, no matter where they live.

• Everything is routed to 300+ vetted partners for recycling or reuse (here’s what happens to plastic film and multi-layer plastic)

• Founded by a dad and his six-year-old in Seattle, and now a certified B Corp, Ridwell exists for people who care where their stuff ends up

Consider speaking from your own experience, too. Here are some prompts:

• Share why you decided to join Ridwell

• What does it feel like to actually know where your stuff goes?

• Is there a specific item you're so glad you don't have to landfill anymore?

Ridwell Pickups is our doorstep membership, available in eight metro areas.

Pickups members set out reusable cloth bags in a bin on their porch, and a Ridwell driver picks it up every other week.

What's included: Pickups covers 15+ categories: plastic film, batteries, lightbulbs, textiles, strofoam and more—plus Featured Categories which are often reuse items for local non-profits.

Ridwell Mail-in is our nationwide option for anyone where doorstep pickups isn’t a good fit—whether they live somewhere we haven't launched pickups yet, or they're in an apartment or condo.

Members get a starter kit with bags for plastic film and multi-layer plastic and hooks to hang them, collect materials at their own pace, and send them in with a prepaid label whenever they're ready.

They get to choose to receive new bags as soon as they return a set, or on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, or only when they make a request. Bags cost $10 - $12 each and hold well over 100 items.

It's the same mission and the same trusted recycling partners as Pickups — just built for people who don't have a driver showing up at their curb.

What we take: Mail-in focuses on plastic, with plastic film and multi-layer plastic as the core categories. Additionally, folks can order additional bags for plastic caps and lids, pill bottles, and corks.

Like any mail-based service, Ridwell Mail-in has a carbon footprint from making and shipping bags and processing the material. We work to reduce it at each step: the plastic film in our collection bags is made from 100% post-consumer recycled material, which reduces demand for virgin resin; USPS carries the bags through a shared delivery network to the Ridwell warehouse closest to each member (we have 11 nationwide), helping minimize transportation distance; and we consolidate returned material for bulk shipment to specialized recycling partners.

A typical returned bag contains about 1.2 pounds of hard-to-recycle material, and ~98% of that material is documented as diverted to our carefully vetted recycling partners.

The Ridwell community embraces a creative approach to solve a big problem: the status quo can’t keep up with the waste piling up in our landfills and oceans. Something needs to change.

Membership powers Ridwell—our community is willing to invest in the movement to send less to landfills. These memberships supply the majority of our revenue. 

Unlike curbside recycling, Ridwell doesn't make money selling most of what it picks up. Rather than starting with materials we can sell, we start with stuff we know is difficult for people to keep out of landfills. 

Ridwell membership supports every aspect of our mission. 

• The dedicated drivers who know your neighborhood by heart

• The fleet of vehicles that make pickups happen (including electric vehicles!)

• Our warehouse team who carefully sorts each item

• Equipment to process materials

• The innovative recycling partnerships we build

• The healthcare we provide our driver and warehouse teams

• The research to find new solutions for hard-to-recycle items

• The technology that sends you text messages, powers your dashboard and tracks your impact