Responsible Recycling with Ridwell
Ding Dong! It’s Ridwell!
Do you ever feel frustrated by having hard-to-recycle items in your home and struggling to find the right place to recycle them properly? The current waste management system is far from perfect, and it can be overwhelming when you have items that you know shouldn't end up in a landfill but don't know where to take them.
From old electronics to broken appliances, many items in our homes have components that can be recycled or reused. However, finding the right place to do so can be a challenge. In many cases, the information on how and where to recycle these items is unclear or even non-existent, leaving us with no choice but to throw them away.
It's important to acknowledge that the current system of waste management is broken, and we must work towards a more sustainable and circular economy. As Pete Seeger famously said, “If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.”
While we advocate for policy and legislative changes to reduce the use of harmful materials, we can also do our part by disposing of our waste responsibly. For example, we can sort our kitchen trash into compost, recycling, and landfill, and we can do the same with trickier items like light bulbs, batteries, textiles, and plastic film.
This blog explores some common hard-to-recycle items found in our homes and provides guidance on how and where to recycle them properly. Let's work together to reduce our environmental impact and create a more sustainable future!
Say hello to Ridwell! Ridwell is a mission driven company that specializes in collecting hard-to-recycle items that are not accepted by traditional municipal recycling programs. They offer a membership where they pick up these items straight from your doorstep, making it easy and convenient to recycle them. Ridwell provides bags to store your plastic film, threads, and more. These are items that American’s throw out every day without a good recycling or reuse solution. Here are some of the hard-to-recycle items that Ridwell collects:
What do they take?
Batteries
So, batteries are one of those things we all use, but recycling them can be a major pain. The thing is, most curbside recycling programs won't even take them because they can be a fire hazard and contain toxic chemicals that are bad for the environment. But don't sweat it, because recycling your batteries the right way is pretty important. If you don't, they can leak toxic chemicals into the soil and water if they end up in a landfill.
Now, if you're like me and don't want to deal with the hassle of trying to find a place to recycle your batteries, check out Ridwell. They make it super easy to recycle all types of batteries, from alkaline to lithium to rechargeable. All you gotta do is toss your used batteries in one of their collection bags, leave it on your doorstep, and they'll take care of the rest.
Light Bulbs
Light bulbs are another one of those things that can be a pain to recycle. Most curbside recycling programs won't take them since they have materials like glass, metal, and mercury that are tough to separate and recycle. But it's important to recycle light bulbs properly because they can leak toxic chemicals into the environment if they end up in landfills.
Luckily, Ridwell has a light bulb recycling service that makes it easy to get rid of your old bulbs. They take all kinds of light bulbs, from incandescent to fluorescent to LED. All you have to do is toss your used bulbs in a Ridwell collection bag and leave it on your doorstep for pickup. Easy peasy!
Plastic Film
Plastic film is basically just a type of plastic that gets used in all sorts of things like grocery bags, bread bags, and plastic wrap. But did you know that most of those curbside recycling programs won't accept plastic film? The reason is that it can get all tangled up in their machinery and cause some serious damage. Yikes!
But don't worry, recycling plastic film is still super important because it can take hundreds of years to break down in landfills and animals can mistake it for food. That's why Ridwell is so cool! They offer a super easy service that lets you recycle all your used plastic bags and wrap. Just toss 'em in one of their collection bags and leave it on your doorstep for pickup.
Other Hard-to-Recycle Items
In addition to batteries, light bulbs, and plastic film, Ridwell accepts a variety of other hard-to-recycle items like:
Shoes
Styrofoam
Electronics
Seasonal Supplies
Towels & Linens
Corks
So, where does it all go?
Ridwell works with local, regional, and national partners to keep as much stuff as possible from going to the landfill. For instance, in Portland, they've managed to recycle an impressive **97.4% of the plastic film they've gotten (only 2.6% was thrown out because it was contaminated). They've teamed up with Trex to make new decking material out of our old plastic film and wrap. That's full circle, baby!
Wrapping it Up
Now, obviously, we want to reuse everything we can before we toss it into the recycling bin. For example, we can use old t-shirts as rags or reuse plastic baggies as pet-waste bags.
By following these simple steps and using services like Ridwell, we can all play a part in reducing waste and keeping things as circular as possible. Imagine a future where closed-loop manufacturing exists, and waste is eliminated around the world. By working together and taking small steps towards sustainable practices, we can make this vision a reality. Let's continue to push for a more circular economy and a world where waste is minimized! Ridwell makes it easy to do the right thing by offering convenient pickups of these hard-to-recycle items. If you're keen on subscribing to Ridwell's pickup service, you can check out their website to see if they offer their services in your area.
Boom, baby!