Ridwell’s Innovative Recycling Solutions Expand Nationwide
Ridwell, the Seattle-based recycling startup founded by Ryan Metzger, has been making significant strides in transforming how Americans handle hard-to-recycle materials. Recently expanding beyond its original home pickup service, the company launched a mail-in option that has quickly gained approximately 20,000 users. This expansion represents a meaningful step in Ridwell’s mission to make recycling more accessible nationwide, now reaching 130,000 customers across all 50 states. The company’s growth is further supported by a newly reported $15 million investment round, though CEO Metzger has declined to comment specifically on this funding.
The mail-in service addresses a crucial gap in America’s recycling infrastructure by accepting materials that typically end up in landfills, such as multi-layer plastic packaging, chip bags, candy wrappers, and plastic film including grocery bags and bubble wrap. Unlike the company’s bin pickup service, which operates on a $20 monthly subscription model, the mail-in option offers more flexibility. Customers pay an initial $30 to start using the service and approximately $9 per pickup, which they can schedule at their convenience. The process is straightforward: customers fill Ridwell-provided bags with hard-to-recycle plastics, schedule a pickup through Ridwell’s integration with the U.S. Postal Service, and then track their materials’ recycling journey online. This tracking feature addresses a common concern about recycling programs – transparency about where materials actually end up.
Metzger has been personally championing this new service through an impressive grassroots effort, hosting nearly 200 community meetups across the country. During these gatherings, he demonstrates the tangible results of Ridwell’s recycling efforts by showing physical products made from recycled materials. “I can say, ‘Here’s all this stuff that you can put in that bag, and then here’s what it turns into,'” Metzger explained. “There is a trust barrier that we’re overcoming, so it’s important to meet people and look at them face to face and show them what happens to it.” This hands-on approach helps build confidence in Ridwell’s services, particularly important in an era when many consumers have become skeptical about whether recycling truly makes a difference.
While expanding its mail-in service, Ridwell continues to operate its traditional pickup service in eight metropolitan areas across seven states: Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, and Texas. The company’s growth strategy is methodical – as adoption grows in specific regions, Ridwell can establish local facilities, hire drivers and workers, and convert mail-in service areas into full pickup zones. All materials, whether collected through pickup or mail-in services, are routed to ten Ridwell-operated processing facilities nationwide. There, the approximately 250 Ridwell employees sort, bale, and ship materials to various partners who transform the waste into useful products. For example, Trex creates composite decking materials, Hydroblox produces water drainage solutions, and ByFusion manufactures construction-grade building blocks.
What sets Ridwell apart in the recycling industry is not just its focus on hard-to-recycle materials but also its commitment to transparency and technology integration. The company has developed what Metzger describes as a unique user experience through its integration with the U.S. Postal Service. Customers can conveniently schedule pickups through Ridwell’s website, allowing mail carriers to collect recycling bags during regular mail deliveries. More importantly, Ridwell’s tracking system applies e-commerce principles to recycling, giving customers visibility into their materials’ journey. “We try to do some of what e-commerce has built over decades, and bring that to the reverse side of things,” Metzger explained. “So when you give us stuff, you see where it goes, the fact that it actually made it there, and what it gets turned into.”
Metzger’s journey with Ridwell began in 2018 from a simple, relatable problem – he and his then-7-year-old son were trying to dispose of dead batteries and realized it wasn’t easy. This personal frustration sparked what has now become a rapidly expanding company addressing a significant environmental challenge. The recent funding will undoubtedly facilitate further growth as Ridwell continues its mission to make recycling more accessible and effective across America. By creating transparent systems that show consumers the actual impact of their recycling efforts, Ridwell is not only diverting waste from landfills but also rebuilding public trust in recycling as a meaningful environmental practice. In a time when many question whether their individual actions make a difference, Ridwell offers both a practical solution and visible proof that proper recycling can indeed give materials a valuable second life.
