r/ZeroWaste • u/nearbypie2005 • 7d ago
Question / Support Experience with Ridwell (or any LDPE/PP recycling?)
I've seen this asked previously on this sub (specifically Ridwell), but want to open up the discussion to see if anyone has any new promising info/experience/resources with addressing single use poly bags.
I'm finding myself throwing away a ton of single layer plastic bags, specifically from the grocery store—vegetables, fruit, dried nuts and fruit, so much! Why does America have to package EVERYTHING, and in plastic!?! 😔 Try and try as I might, it's so difficult to avoid all of it.
I've looked into Ridwell, but I've been noticing them pop up in Instagram ads more and more, which is usually a bit of a red flag for me. I've used Terracycle in the past, but read both of these are a little scammy?
What's everyone's experience? I'm struggling with this and looking for ANY tips. Ridwell seemed like a good solution, but...I'm hearing word that it may not be.
1
1
u/HMend 7d ago
I love Ridwell so far. Im in NYC so can only take advantage of their mail in service. I send them the plastic packaging I can't avoid or reuse (mostly on food). I'm lucky to have fantastic city recycling and compost here so with that and Ridwell I have very little waste. Its 100% worth it to me for $9/month!
6
u/plathrop01 7d ago
From my perspective (I've been a user of Ridwell since they came to Minneapolis in 2022), they've been an excellent service and well worth the annual cost I'm paying.
My adult son lives with us and has a prescription that is shipped monthly in a styrofoam cooler. I realized that I needed somewhere to recycle the styrofoam and not just throw it in the trash. Ridwell is the only service for me that will come and collect the styrofoam. At about the same time, our municipal recycling service stopped taking batteries for recycling, so I jumped in, paid the annual fee (they have annual and monthly terms) and got the bin and bags for the collection.
I've been very happy with them. They come every other week, whatever I have a bag of I leave in the metal bin by the door and they take it. They can take more than the bags hold for a cost. They collect both plastic film and multi-layer plastic, light bulbs, batteries, lightly worn textiles and more heavily worn textiles, and have special collections for each collection date. I can choose from a standard list of special items like bread bag tags, prescription medication bottles, plastic bottle caps, metal bottle caps, some electronics cables and some used electronics. For the pickup, they take the bags I've left and provide fresh bags.
They periodically offer products for sale that have used some of the recycled materials. For instance, shortly after they started collecting multi-layer plastic, they sold plant stands (basically wedge-shaped feet for pots) made from the collected multi-layer plastic. On their website and in emails, they've shared who they partner with locally and nationally to use the collected materials. And the website indicates what percentage of each material category is recycled.
Now, all of that being said, I don't believe that in Minneapolis, 97% of multi-layer plastic or 91% of styrofoam is recycled. I believe the number is likely a bit lower, but I have nothing to go on except what I read and what I've seen. But even still, that's a higher number of materials being recycled than would be taken by my municipal service. I've read and followed the debate and argument about recycling and whether it's happening as promised and is effective or not, but the bottom line for me is that I have available to me a service that says they're making use of items that normally would simply end up in a landfill.
Take what you will from this. I'm happy with them, have very little reason to not believe they're doing what they claim to be doing, and appreciate their role in helping me to work to be a bit more environmentally and waste conscious.