Categories and add-ons

What happens to the items Ridwell collects?

We work with a variety of speciality recyclers and local community programs to responsibly recycle and reuse your items. You can read more about our partners and our landfill diversion rates on our…

updated 1 yr ago
11,986
Categories and add-ons

Who are the partners you work with?

We work with a variety of specialty recyclers, local nonprofits, and community programs to responsibly recycle or reuse your stuff. If you visit the What We Take section of our site,…

updated 1 yr ago
3,091
Categories and add-ons

What is automatically included with my membership for each pickup?

Every two weeks we'll pick up our core categories plus a featured category that changes with each pickup - just make sure you’re opted in! You can find out which featured categories are coming up or…

updated 8 hrs ago
24,370
Categories and add-ons

What are add-ons and how do I add them to my pickup?

We offer a suite of additional categories that you can add to any regularly scheduled pickup. Add-ons have a fee to cover pickup and processing costs, and can be added up to 8pm the night before your…

updated yesterday
20,621
Categories and add-ons

Can new members add on free extra bags?

We realize that new members may have a lot of items for us! That’s why we give all new members credit for 3 free Beyond the Bin bags of overflow plastic film or threads.…

updated 2 days ago
12,244
Categories and add-ons

How do I find out what items you take in each category?

The best way to find what items we take is to check your member dashboard or visit our categories page. The categories and items we can take vary by location and plan type,…

updated 2 days ago
25,786
Categories and add-ons

What do you take in plastic film?

“Plastic film” is the thin, flexible, and scrunchable plastic that seems to pop up absolutely everywhere. Luckily, our partner, Trex, can turn your tricky plastic film into composite decking!…

updated 2 days ago
13,327
Categories and add-ons

Do labels or stickers need to be removed from plastic film?

Thanks for checking and great news: nope! We can take plastic film items with stickers/labels or a bit of label residue on them. No need to remove the labels or cut them out before adding the item…

updated 1 yr ago
12,573
Categories and add-ons

How clean does plastic film need to be before it goes in the bag?

A big part of the reason we can recycle as much plastic film from our members as we do is because they do such a phenomenal job of cleaning what they give us!…

updated 1 yr ago
7,573
Categories and add-ons

What is multi-layer plastic?

Multi-layer plastic is a core category available to Ridwell members on our Plastic Plus and Unlimited plans. Multi-layer plastic is crinkly, thick packaging that often contains food like chips, nuts,…

updated 10 hrs ago
1,281
Categories and add-ons

What’s the difference between multi-layer plastic and plastic film?

Click here to download or print this guide! Plastic film is the thin, stretchy plastic you find in bubble wrap, plastic shipping envelopes, and grocery bags.…

updated 10 hrs ago
1,306
Categories and add-ons

How clean does multi-layer plastic need to be before it goes in the bag?

A big part of the reason we can recycle as much from our members as we do is because they do such a phenomenal job of cleaning what they give us! Please shake or wipe out any crumbs from multi-layer…

yesterday
110
Categories and add-ons

What do you take in threads?

Our threads category includes clothing (both wearable and worn out), shoes, linens, and many other textiles. What we can take varies slightly by location,…

1 yr ago
11,239
Categories and add-ons

What kinds of batteries do you take?

*Availability of battery pickup varies by neighborhood* We can take almost any type of battery, as long as it’s small enough to fit into the Ridwell “Batteries” bag! For safe storage,…

updated 10 mths ago
3,790
Categories and add-ons

Do I need to tape my batteries?

*Availability of battery pickup varies by neighborhood* For your safety and the safety of our staff, please use electrical tape or clear tape to cover the terminals of your batteries (particularly…

updated 9 mths ago
5,265
Categories and add-ons

What kinds of light bulbs do you take?

We can take almost any type of household light bulb, as long as it’s small enough to fit into the Ridwell “Light bulbs” bag! You can see an overview with pictures of the kinds of light bulbs we can…

updated 6 days ago
2,968
Categories and add-ons

What is Ridwell’s “featured category”?

During each pickup we’ll pick up a featured category along with our core categories. We partner with a variety of local organizations, nonprofits, and specialty recyclers to help you delightfully…

updated yesterday
26,501
Categories and add-ons

Who are Ridwell's featured category partners?

For our featured categories we work with a variety of awesome local partners, including nonprofits, community programs, artisans, and specialty recyclers.…

updated 1 yr ago
2,085
Categories and add-ons

Can I include any featured category items any time, or only when it’s the specific featured category for a pickup?

Some of our featured categories are seasonal and rotate between pickups, and others are always available for you to choose from. You can only select one featured category at a time when you opt in…

updated yesterday
4,520
Categories and add-ons

Do you pick up Styrofoam?

Styrofoam (also known as expanded polystyrene or EPS foam) is one of our most popular categories. You’ll receive a 45-gallon orange bag to collect Styrofoam when we first drop off your Ridwell bin.…

updated 2 days ago
5,858
Categories and add-ons

What kinds of Styrofoam do you take?

The types of Styrofoam that we can take vary by location, depending on our local recycling partners. The best way to check what items we can take in your area is to go to our Categories page.…

updated 3 days ago
3,858
Categories and add-ons

How do I request additional orange Styrofoam bags?

When you add Styrofoam onto a pickup, we’ll always replace the bag we pick up with a new, empty one! If you need additional bags, we’re happy to drop those off during a regularly scheduled pickup if…

updated 7 mths ago
1,643
Categories and add-ons

What is the orange bag in my bin for?

A 45-gallon orange bag for Styrofoam will be included in your bin when it's dropped off! Styrofoam is included in our Unlimited membership plan and available as an add-on for members on our Classic…

updated 2 days ago
5,199
Categories and add-ons

Where is clear plastic clamshell service available?

Clear #1 PET plastic clamshell service is currently only available in limited areas. Check below to see if clear plastic clamshells are available in your area.…

updated yesterday
5,631
Categories and add-ons

What is the blue bag in my bin for? (Limited areas only)

Clear plastic clamshells are only available in limited Ridwell service areas. Check our clamshell service areas list to see whether you are eligible for clamshell pickups.…