Meet Jenny Weis, a lifelong recycler and mother of two boys, residing in northwest Seattle. Infusing the three R's (reduce, reuse, recycle) into her daily life, Jenny shares her favorite tip for families looking to establish simple, sustainable routines in 2024.

Jenny and her partner have long prioritized minimizing plastic in their daily lives — opting for bulk purchases and reusing containers, especially for pantry and cleaning essentials. A well-prepared "family bag" is always on hand, stocked with reusable water bottles, to-go coffee mugs, collapsible food containers, and compostable bags for collecting recyclables on the go. Despite her efforts to reduce plastic, Jenny recognizes that her kids need to eat, and there are only so many hours in the day.

So, Jenny was excited to discover Ridwell, a Seattle-based recycling start-up that started as a father-son project when CEO, Ryan Metzger, and his son, Owen, tried to find a way to recycle their batteries and other challenging items.

Today, Ridwell plays a vital role in Jenny's family routine, providing doorstep pickup for items like plastic film and multi-layer plastics (chip bags, snack wrappers) that are not accepted by regular curbside programs. Beyond plastics, Ridwell collects batteries, light bulbs, clothes, and more, partnering with 200+ local and regional businesses to ensure responsible reuse or recycling of these items. One way Ridwell keeps plastic out of landfills is through its partnership with HydroBlox — a company that repurposes multi-layer plastic into construction materials.

After Ridwell picks up your plastic film, 95.3% of it gets diverted from landfills. | Photo provided by Ridwell

With Ridwell, Jenny knows her small actions are making a difference and encourages the community to embrace this solution to send less waste to landfills.

For an effortless way to be more sustainable in 2024, join 30,000+ members in Seattle, who are making the planet cleaner, one bin at a time. Seattleites can benefit for as little as $14 a month, significantly reducing household waste. Pro tip: Join Ridwell this January and get your first month for free.

Start your sustainable journey.

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