Styrofoam
Why use Ridwell?
Most curbside recycling services don’t offer Styrofoam recycling, or only take very limited types. This means that you get stuck saving up your Styrofoam and then trying to find somewhere to recycle it.
Ridwell makes recycling your Styrofoam (also known as expanded polystyrene or EPS) easy. Instead of spending hours of your weekend driving around looking for a recycling center, just add it to your Ridwell pickup. We’ll come get it right from your door, and take it to our partners - who recycle it into things like picture frames and roofing insulation!
How it works
1
Collect your Styrofoam
Use the orange bag provided by Ridwell to collect your Styrofoam between pickups. Please make sure your Styrofoam is clean!
2
Tie or tape your Styrofoam bag shut
Securely close your Styrofoam bag so that pieces will not fall out during transit.
3
Get ready for pickup
Unlimited members: Go ahead and leave your orange bag of Styrofoam by your bin for pickup!
Plastic Plus and Classic members: Add Styrofoam to your pickup from your member dashboard for a small add-on fee, then leave your orange bag by your bin for pickup.
What items can we take?
Please make sure your items are clean, dry, and free of food, dirt, tape, paper, and foil.
Blocks
Shipping coolers
Cornstarch and compostable packing peanuts
EPS Peanuts
These will be used for reuse first and then recycle
What isn’t in this category?
Dirty EPS (styrofoam)
Thick flex foam
Thin packing foam
Food containers and meat trays
Any color of meat tray, food and beverage containers
Foil-covered
Insulation foam board
Molded foam
Microbeads
Egg crate foam
Spray Foam
Styrofoam.
Styrofoam* is inexpensive and keeps certain things safe or cool in transport, so it often shows up unannounced in packages. Unfortunately, it usually can’t go in curbside recycling, and can take centuries to decompose in a landfill.
With Ridwell, you can get your Styrofoam picked up right from your door! You save time (and get to finally clear out the Styrofoam stash in your closet!), and your Styrofoam gets a second life.
*When we say Styrofoam, we are referring to items in the polystyrene foam family, not just Styrofoam-brand products. Styrofoam™ Brand Foam is a registered trademark of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (“DuPont”). For more information, click here.
Partnering with National Recycling Corporation
National Recycling Corporation (NRC) was established in 1985, by the founder, Richard Wang. NRC believes that simply recycling is not enough and that all humans must be conscious of the environment as a whole. NRC is a certified recycling center (RC 3530) and processor (PRO 313) in California. They work closely with all federal, state, and local authorities to meet and surpass the environmental regulatory guidelines for the recycling industry. Material provided to NRC by Ridwell members is densified into heavier ingots and sold to downstream markets that will make a variety of new items, like picture frames and crown molding.
Partnering with Trex Company, Inc.
Flexible foam and flex film is recycled through Trex Company. Trex is one of the largest recyclers of plastic film in North America, using more than 400 million pounds of recycled plastics - including more than 1.5 billion plastic bags - each year to make its high-performance, wood-alternative decking. A standard 16-foot Trex deck board contains recycled materials from approximately 2,250 plastic bags, and is 95% recycled content.
“Ridwell members give us some of the highest quality plastic we receive from any partner. We are thrilled to be working with such a conscientious and passionate community.“ - Trex, Consumer Education
Partnering with The Packaging Store in Oakland
The Packaging Store in Oakland has been serving the Bay area for over 30 years. When it comes to packing and shipping, they’ve got our community covered. At the Packaging Store in Oakland, they know just how priceless some shipments are. That is why they take their time carefully packing each and every item that comes through their doors. Packing peanuts provided by Ridwell members will help in their packing efforts to keep your shipments safe.
FAQ
How large are the bags?
Our Styrofoam bags are 45 gallons - more than 4x larger than our Ridwell bin, so they'll fit most pieces!
What if I need more than one Styrofoam bag?
You are always welcome to bag up extra Styrofoam in large garbage bags - just be sure to let us know how many bags you will have via your member dashboard!
If you would prefer to request an extra orange Ridwell bag to use, you can sign into your Ridwell account and visit our bag request page.
Classic and Plastic Plus members: Please note that the add-on charge is applied per bag regardless of bag size.
What if my Styrofoam is too large for the bag?
If your Styrofoam is too large for the bag, please break it down into smaller pieces that will fit inside, and make sure to tie or tape the bag shut to keep everything secure!
Does my Styrofoam bag need to be closed?
Yes, please make sure that your Styrofoam bag is securely closed so that pieces will not fall out during transit. You are welcome to tie the bag shut, or use tape or another method that ensures the contents will not spill out.
Does the Styrofoam need to be clean?
Please make sure your Styrofoam is dry and clean, and remove any tape or stickers.
How do I get a Styrofoam bag?
We'll deliver an orange Styrofoam bag with your bin. From then on, whenever you get a Styrofoam pickup, we'll replace your full bag with an empty one! If you’re missing a Styrofoam bag, please reach out to us at help@ridwell.com and we’ll make sure you get a new one!
Do you reuse the bags?
Absolutely! We will keep them in circulation as long as possible.
What happens to the Styrofoam once Ridwell collects it?
Our trained team members screen for non-qualifying material like wet Styrofoam or stickers that need removing. Screened material is transported to our local partners for recycling!
Join the movement to build a future without waste.
