Loose plastic bottle caps
What items can we take?
We can take clean, loose plastic bottle caps and food pouch tops in all sizes and colors. Caps and pouch tops should be entirely plastic and free of other materials like paper, plastic or metal labels and seals, or aluminum wires.
Loose plastic bottle caps
Loose plastic food pouch tops
Loose plastic disc top caps
Loose plastic flip top caps
What isn’t in this category?
We cannot take any caps that have metal parts or are made of materials other than plastic.
Metal bottle caps
Plastic caps with metal or foil parts
Pull caps and pull tabs
These are under 3 inches and so can't be recycled curbside!
Plastic bread tags
We can take these in our bread tags category!
Plastic pumps
Cotton balls
Plastic lids
Loose plastic bottle caps.
Loose plastic bottle caps are made of recyclable plastic, but are too small to be accepted in most curbside programs. That's why we partner with specialty recyclers who have developed programs to process bottle caps! We make sure your bottle caps get recycled responsibly and safely.
In some areas plastic caps may be recyclable curbside if attached to the bottle they came with - check with your local provider to see if this applies to you! If not, or if you, like us, find yourself with a collection of random loose plastic caps, we've got you covered.
Partnering with Merlin Plastics
Merlin Plastics, a circular economy-focused plastic recycler servicing the U.S. and Canada, gives used plastic a new life, providing an alternative to virgin resin to be used by plastic manufacturers. Used plastics, like your plastic items collected by Ridwell, are shredded, washed, and pelletized into a post-consumer resin (PCR) at Merlin. Ultimately, PCR is used to make various commercial and industrial products like nursery planting pots, piping, and more. Merlin is committed to circularizing discarded packaging in an environmentally sound, economically efficient, and socially responsible fashion.
Partnering with First Star Recycling
Firstar Fiber (Firstar), dba First Star Recycling, was formed in 1997 with the goal of enhancing Nebraska’s recycling infrastructure. Its Omaha based material recycling facility (MRF) accepts residential and commercial recyclables from throughout the Midwest. In 2023, the company added processing capability to convert hard-to-recycle plastics, such as multi-layered packaging, into feedstock that then can be recycled into a variety of products. This includes Firstar’s own Solution Plastics™, dimensional plastic lumber used by do-it-yourselfers for raised garden beds, benches, fences, patios, and more. Material collected by Ridwell members will be sent to First Star Recycling for the production of their dimensional plastic lumber.
Join the movement to build a future without waste.
