More Out of the Landfill: Why I Joined Ridwell

I recycle everything our local program accepts, but there are still certain things I reluctantly toss in the trash—especially plastic packaging that looks as though it should be recyclable but isn’t accepted locally.

That has always bothered me.

Living and working in rural Vermont, our recycling options are fairly limited. I try to make thoughtful choices in both my home and my jewelry studio, but avoiding waste completely simply isn’t realistic. Materials and tools arrive wrapped for protection, household products come in flexible packaging, and some of the hardest things to eliminate are also the hardest things to recycle.

Recently, I discovered Ridwell Mail-in, a program created specifically for some of those difficult materials. I decided to join so I could keep more of them out of the trash.

The starter kit includes prepaid bags for two categories that tend to accumulate quickly:

• Plastic film, such as certain bags and flexible plastic wrapping

• Multi-layer plastic, which includes many snack, pet food and other crinkly packages made from layers of different materials

Instead of throwing these items away one at a time, I can collect them until a bag is full and then schedule its return. Ridwell works with recycling partners that turn accepted materials into new products, and I can follow where the materials go after I send them in.

I especially appreciate that transparency. It isn’t simply a vague promise that something is “recyclable”—Ridwell identifies the partners processing the collected materials and explains what those materials may become.

The accumulation of plastic in our oceans is another reason this matters so much to me. Plastic doesn’t simply disappear when it leaves our hands. It can persist in the environment for generations, breaking into smaller and smaller pieces that harm marine animals and work their way throughout the food chain. No single household can solve such an enormous problem, but I want to do what I can to keep the plastic that passes through mine from becoming part of it.

This doesn’t mean every bit of waste in my home or studio has suddenly disappeared. Nor does it replace reducing what I use in the first place. It’s simply one more practical step I can take with the things I haven’t yet found a way to avoid.

Sustainability can sometimes feel like an all-or-nothing proposition. If we can’t do something perfectly, it’s tempting to wonder whether our smaller efforts matter. I don’t believe perfection is the goal, though. I believe it’s about noticing where we can make a better choice and then doing what is reasonably within our reach.

For me, joining Ridwell is one of those choices.

I’m genuinely curious to see how quickly we fill our first bags—and perhaps a little nervous to discover just how much of this packaging has been passing through our household! But I’m glad to finally have somewhere better to send it than the trash.