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

• 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

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

Instead of a weekly pickup, 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.

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

The big differences from Pickups:

• Where it works: Anywhere in the US, not just our pickups areas

• How it works: Mail-based, not a weekly subscription pickup

• 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.

This is a great one to keep in your back pocket for friends or family who've asked "how do I get Ridwell?" and live somewhere we don't serve yet. Now you've got an answer for them, too.

• Membership is what makes it possible for Ridwell to keep solving problems that traditional recycling won't touch.

• Unlike curbside recycling, Ridwell doesn't make money selling most of what it picks up—the money coming in from selling materials is only about twenty cents per member per month.

• Membership pays for drivers, the warehouse team, the partnerships Ridwell builds with innovative recyclers and nonprofits, and ongoing research to find new solutions. 

• This article goes in-depth about what Pickups members support.

• Share why you decided to join Ridwell

• What would happen to this stuff if you didn't have Ridwell?

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

• How has Ridwell changed the way you think about what you throw away?

• What would you tell someone who thinks recycling is already "good enough?”

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