How to participate in our multi-layer plastic pickup

What is multi-layer plastic?

Commonly found in food storage bags and other shelf-stable items, multi-layer plastic is used to keep things fresh. It’s made from several different types of plastic layered together to ensure no particles can pass from the environment into the packaged goods. 

What does this category include?

This category includes plastic food bags, frozen food bags, chip bags, granola bar wrappers, and more! To see what all we can take, check out the category page or contact our Member Success team at help@ridwell.com. Please make sure that all your items are completely dry before putting them in your bag!

Why is multi-layer plastic hard to recycle?

Multi-layer plastic items on average contain around 3-12 different layers of varying types of plastic. Most recycling processes specialize in only one type of plastic, and are unable to handle materials made up of multiple types of plastic.

What doesn’t this category include?

The multi-layer plastic category does not include plastic film (put this in your plastic film bag!), wet items, and bags with metal or paper. We know this can be very confusing, so please check the full list of what we can and can’t take on our category page. Not sure? You can always contact our Member Success team at help@ridwell.com

Will this pickup happen more than once?

We sure hope so! This multi-layer plastic pickup is a pilot to see if we can offer this category more widely across our member base. We believe that unique recycling opportunities like this are what make Ridwell special, so we're exploring just how we do that while ensuring the long-term viability of our partners. Stay tuned!

Should I keep saving up my multi-layer plastic?

If you don't mind saving it up, yes! We are working really hard to make this a regular part of your service, so keep an eye out for more information in the next few months.

How did you find your partners?

Ever since our first pickups, food bags, chip bags, and other similar items have been high on our list to find a solution for. But they are tough to recycle! We’ve spent the last 12 months actively searching, talking to, vetting, and validating the work of many different recyclers across the nation. Arqlite (who we partner with for Seattle, South Sound, Bellingham, Portland, and the Bay Area), Hydroblox (who we partner with for Seattle, South Sound, Bellingham, and Portland), and ByFusion (who we partner with for Denver, the Twin Cities, and Austin) are the first to satisfy our promise to our members: that the material is staying out of the landfills and getting a new life as something that has a positive impact on our planet.

What do your partners do with the material?

Arqlite uses a high-grade manufacturing process to turn multi-layer plastic into leach-free, microplastic-free artificial stone that is used to support plant life. ByFusion converts plastic waste, like multi-layer plastics, into a high-performing, advanced building material called ByBlock. Hydroblox creates drainage material using 100% landfill-bound plastic and an environmentally-friendly process that doesn’t use things like glue, binders, or exhaust heat.

Can I buy Arqlite or ByFusion’s products?

Have plants? Have a garden? Arqlite’s Smart Gravel is pretty awesome for all sorts of landscaping needs: https://smart.arqlite.com/
Use the code 10RIDWELL at checkout to get 10% off your purchase!

Have a building project? ByFusion’s ByBlocks could be the foundation for your building needs: https://shop.byfusion.com/
Use the code RIDWELL10 at checkout to get 10% off your purchase!

Purchasing products made from recycled material is a great way to ensure recycling possibilities like this can continue at an even larger scale!

What’s the difference between plastic film and multi-layer plastic? Why are they separate? 

Great question! Plastic film is the colloquial term for #2 HDPE and #4 LDPE plastics. These are generally made to wrap other items that don’t need to be air tight or shelf-stable and are only one type of plastic. Plastic film is sent to our partner, Trex, and made into composite decking material.

Multi-layer plastic, on the other hand, is made of several different types of plastic and so cannot be recycled the same way by the same partner. Keeping them separate ensures that these materials can be recycled by our partners.

Oh no! I think I’ve put multi-layer plastic in my plastic film bag before!

Don't stress if you’ve put multi-layer plastic into your plastic film bag before - you’re not alone! All accidental contaminants are ultimately screened out before plastic film is transformed into Trex's final product. It can be hard to tell the difference between these two categories because they are both types of flexible plastic packaging that are frequently unlabeled. So give yourself some credit for doing your best and trying to up your game! One big reason that we are running this trial is that we are always trying to improve what we send to our partners. Although our plastic film contamination is at an industry-leading low level, we hope to make it even better and help create new products out of old plastic by having a dedicated category specifically for multi-layer plastic.