Apartment Doesn’t Recycle? Try Ridwell and These Other Options | Swap Series

10 minutes ago

6 min read

Unfortunately, my apartment complex does not have a recycling program. Trying to find ways to lower my impact on the environment has been an interesting challenge with my busy life, but one that has become important for me after the recent UN University study revealed that AI could soon use as much water as 1.3 billion people.

What I found interesting about the study is that it does not say it is against AI, but rather that we need to solve for the environmental impact of AI so it's more sustainable and equitable. I can understand that, with the masses of changes we are seeing now where nearly all companies are updating their marketing and software to include it, regardless of where it makes sense.

Pinterest graphic reading “How to recycle when you don’t have a curbside program, plus Ridwell review and other local programs to try” over a purple-tinted photo of the Bob’s Recycling building in Miami, with an illustrated portrait of @rebeccaksampson holding a book and pen

Today I'm going to focus on Ridwell, where you can send trash that is not typically picked up in curbside recycling and they will responsibly recycle your items with their partners into other useful products, like sunglasses and building material. In certain areas, they have a pickup service. But across America, you can actually ship them your recycling, which is what I've been doing.

I thought this was a very unique option, especially because it includes items you typically wouldn't recycle. For the past two months, I've been gathering recycling and sending it to the program, and it has been incredibly easy.

What Can You Recycle With Ridwell Mail-In?

One of the things I love is that you can send them your Amazon bubble mailers, which can pile up quickly. Since I also ship books and other collectibles out, as Aria James Publishing and through eBay reselling, I keep a lot of the shipping materials I receive, but with my limited space I can only keep so much. With Ridwell, any Amazon mailers I don't keep I can instead recycle, that includes bubble-wrap.

Other things you can recycle with them are pill bottles, plastic bottle caps, cereal bags, grocery store bags, fruit netting, the plastic bread bags, and even the packets my vitamins come in. You cannot send them all in one bag, it has to be separated by type in specified bags. You can see a list of what Ridwell takes on their website.

My family has been using Grüns as our regular vitamin gummy for a few months now, and they come in a small daily package. Now I can recycle that packaging with ease through Ridwell!

How Does Ridwell Mail-In Work?

You go to their website and buy a starter kit. The starter kit is $30 and includes:

One prepaid plastic film bag
One prepaid multi-layer plastic bag
A fridge guide
Two clips to hang your bags

The clips let you hang up the bags so it's easy to add items as you go. In their shop you can add-on other kinds of bags, and I added on prescription bottles and bottle caps. Somehow, I find plastic bottle caps on my walk every day. It's so weird and I don't get it, but I pick them up while I walk my dogs so I can send them off to Ridwell.

On the website, you can set up how often you want to receive bags. I have mine set up so that once I send a bag in, it charges me for a replacement bag. Replacement bags are between $10-$12, and each comes with a prepaid shipping label.

If you are in an area that has Ridwell pickup, the cost instead starts at $20 a month.

Why Does Ridwell Want You to Stuff the Bag Full?

One thing that's really interesting about this service is that the bags themselves encourage you to stuff them as full as possible. Shipping also has an environmental impact, so they want each bag to make the most difference it can. Since most of the items are lightweight, they say to stuff your bag as much as possible before sending it out.

Every time I've sent out a bag, it looks like the size of a pillow!

Purple graphic titled “Ridwell Mail-In Review, Is it worth the cost?” with screenshots of Ridwell’s website reading “Ridwell takes what curbside recycling can’t” and “The simple way to recycle more stuff,” a pile of plastic bags and snack wrappers, and an illustrated portrait of @rebeccaksampson holding a book and pen

Is Ridwell Worth the Cost?

For me, yes.

Replacement bags are $10-$12, and the starter kit is $30, so this isn't a free service. But I'm happy to pay a small amount each month to make sure I'm helping the environment in ways I haven't been able to for a while.

Buying one pair of shorts can cost $30, so spending that to recycle and help reduce waste seems like a fair price. Especially with the rise of AI in the majority of the apps and services we use each day, the environmental impact of our daily lives is only growing. Using a service like Ridwell is one of the ways we can help lower our overall footprint.

Is There a Ridwell Discount Code?

My account allows up to three people to get 50% off their starter kit, so check these three links if you haven't ordered yet to see if the discounts are claimed: Link 1 | Link 2 | Link 3

(I don't get anything for the referral, anyone that joins can share up to three 50% off links.)

Where Can You Recycle Cans and Metal in Miami?

My apartment complex in Miami, Florida doesn’t recycle, so I was looking for other places to take things Ridwell doesn't.

If you are also in Miami and want a way to recycle more, and your apartment or housing area doesn't recycle, I'd recommend Bob's Recycling Center.

Bob’s Recycling Center in Miami, a blue building with a metal roof and a “Bob’s Recycling” sign, palm trees, an “Exit Salida” sign, and cars parked out front under a blue sky

When I was younger and saw people on TV getting money for recycling, I didn't understand it because with curbside you don't get money back. Bob's is one of those places that can compensate you for recycling scrap metal and others, aluminum cans included. It's not a huge amount if you are bringing just cans, but a few dollars here and there helps supplement what I'm spending on Ridwell.

I brought in my aluminum cans and also the stainless steel reusable bottles I had accumulated over the past few years. It took less than five minutes from when I parked to leaving with cash.

Do check out Bob's Recycling's social media too, they are adorable.

Can You Recycle Stainless Steel Water Bottles?

Yes. You can bring stainless steel water bottles to a metal recycler like Bob's. That felt like a better decision than donating mine, since places like Goodwill have so many water bottles and not all of them will be purchased.

Where Can You Recycle Boxes?

If your location doesn't have curbside recycling, you can check your county's website for where items like cardboard boxes can be recycled in a drop off service. For Miami, this is the list of neighborhood recycling centers.

Storing more flat boxes to bring in bulk (to make the drive worth it) is going to take some figuring out, but I'm looking through some options for my family.

Where Can You Recycle Hair Dryers and Curling Irons?

Best Buy's appliance recycling program takes hair dryers, curling irons and hair straighteners for free, no matter where you bought them. You can bring them to a participating store, with a limit of three items per household per day. That was a surprise to me. I've usually donated mine, or threw them away if they were old and damaged. It's good to know they can go to Best Buy, among electronic items.

Where Can You Recycle Plastic Grocery Bags?

Grocery stores like Publix take plastic bags in the green bins out front. Publix says the bags get turned into plastic pellets that become things like new bags, composite decking, fencing and benches. It's free, and it saves room in your Ridwell bag for the things grocery stores won't take.

Where Can You Recycle Batteries and Phone Cases?

Finding somewhere that takes single-use batteries was a challenge, but Staples recycles both single-use and rechargeable batteries for $2.99 per visit, not per battery. I'm going to start setting these aside to bring in every few months.

They also take phone cases, USB cables, lightning cables, and different school supplies for free, which is a great option. I didn't know phone cases could be recycled anywhere! There are a lot of other available items for free, so give their recycling list a look while you declutter your home.

Every Bit Helps

Recycling doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing process. Perfection isn't possible. Focusing instead on progress, and that every bit can help, is a much more empowering way to approach the changes we've been working through as a society. I hope this list of options helps you get started if your apartment doesn't recycle, like mine.

I’ve not been as consistent with my focus on being less wasteful, because it can at times take more emotional energy or additional money and time, but even an imperfect effort is better than no effort. That’s why I started the Swap Series and have more posts planned soon.

Each blog article shares small, realistic changes I’ve made to lower my impact on the environment without overhauling my whole life. Every swap is something I’ve actually tried, with the honest pros and cons. I've recently updated my previously posted content on this topic, so go back and read my thoughts on bamboo toilet paper and shampoo and conditioner.