Ridwell: A Way to Recycle Plastic Film on Orcas

In October, we attended a recycling seminar sponsored by Ridwell, a Seattle-based company that specializes in hard-to-recycle materials. The company was touring the islands to promote its mail-back recycling program for plastic film—and we came away impressed.

How It Works:

First, you sign up with Ridwell for $30, and they send you a starter kit containing two prepaid mail-back pouches—one for plastic film (think Saran Wrap or bubble wrap) and one for plastic food packaging (like chip bags or granola bar wrappers).

The kit also includes clear, well-designed instructions to help your household learn how to sort plastics correctly. Once a pouch is full, simply seal it and mail it back to Ridwell. They’ll then send you a new empty pouch for $9.

Our Concerns:

We all know that “hard-to-recycle” materials are named that way for a reason—they often have little or no resale value or few facilities capable of processing them responsibly.

Ridwell currently sends plastic film to Trex, the company that turns plastic wrap into composite decking, and sends multi-layer plastics (like chip bags) to HydroBlox, which uses them to make drainage products.

That’s great—as long as those outlets remain available. If they don’t, Ridwell (and its customers) could be left with a large amount of plastic waste that ultimately ends up in the landfill.

Other mail-back recycling programs, such as TerraCycle, have faced similar challenges in the past.

Our Conclusion:

After spending time with Aliya Marder, Ridwell’s COO—attending her presentation on Orcas and giving her a tour of The Exchange—our concerns were largely put to rest. Aliya was candid about the potential challenges of downstream markets and assured us that Ridwell is committed to transparency and accountability in its operations.

While the best solution is always to use less plastic, Ridwell may be the next best thing. For those willing to pay a bit extra, a Ridwell subscription offers a practical and responsible way to keep plastic films out of the landfill.