Good, bad, ugly: Hard-to-recycle, recycled

The Garbage Lady
Sep 22
14 min read

Updated: Oct 8

Spaghetti Westerns like "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" demythologized the conventions of traditional US Westerns. We need to demythologize the conventions, the promises, of plastic recycling. Image licensed under Creative Commons.

Where curbside recycling falls short, companies are clamoring for your hard-to-recycle items. I was enticed by Ridwell and its promise to "build a less wasteful future" by keeping hard-to-recycle items out of landfills and giving them a second life, sustainably. Maybe you've noticed the white metal "milk box" style bins with the vivid orange lettering perched on your neighbor's front porch. Maybe you have one of these bins on your porch. The process is simple and convenient: For a nominal fee, Ridwell provides you with a bin and collection bags, you fill the bags and place them in (or next to) the bin, and every two weeks Ridwell collects the bags and drops off new ones.

Bags prepped for Ridwell collection day. Image credit: The Garbage Lady

Ridwell fills the gap of curbside recycling by collecting plastic film, multi-layer plastic, lightbulbs, household batteries, textiles both wearable and worn out, and other items destined for landfills. Also collected is an ever-changing featured category that might include school or art supplies, kitchenware, books, Halloween candy, Christmas decor, and the list goes on. Recently, our featured categories were bike inner tubes and keys, but having none of those we swapped them out for loose plastic caps and small electronics. Other swaps include corks, prescription pill bottles, bread tags, and flat lids. For an additional fee, Ridwell also picks up Styrofoam, latex paint, and fluorescent light tubes. Earlier this year, when our curbside recycling service stopped accepting #1 PET clear plastic clamshell containers and trays, Ridwell stepped in and added them to its service for no additional fee.

I've been a Ridwell customer for several years. I joined because I believed the company has good intentions. I still do. But all the while I've felt conflicted, with growing unease. Am I truly getting rid of hard-to-recycle items responsibly? Are my dollars well spent? Seeking answers, I found plenty of good, but riding alongside were the bad and the ugly.

Good riddance

Ridwell works with local, regional, and national partners to handle the items it collects, and communities often benefit directly from local partnerships. In my area, books went to the county's public library system to be sold at a fundraiser. Jackets, coats, hats, gloves, and mittens went to an organization that helps families experiencing homelessness. School supplies went to an organization that helps at-risk students stay in school and succeed in their education. These are but a few commendable examples of Ridwell serving local communities.

Also commendable is the company's transparency about what happens to the materials they collect. According to the website, 97% of collected materials get reused, repurposed, or recycled, and the company has kept 23 million pounds of waste out of landfills, including neurotoxicants like mercury, lead, cadmium, nickel, and silver that come from e-waste, lightbulbs, and batteries. This transparency also enabled me to track down the not-so-commendable outcomes of many of the collected materials.

Ridwell tells me not to worry about my waste. But how can I not?

Wasting more, made easy and guilt free

The problem is plastic. When one of my sons was a young, vegetable-averse age, I asked him whether he wanted carrots or broccoli with dinner. He said, "I don't like those options. I want different options." I feel the same about plastic, where the options are either to landfill or recycle, neither palatable.

A focus on plastics recycling will backfire spectacularly, especially as the market for "eco-friendly" recycled plastic products expands, further increasing the demand for and consumption of plastic, and further cementing our dependency on it. Instead of incenting us to reduce our plastic consumption, recycling invites us to keep the taps flowing. It's okay. It'll get recycled. We'll end up surrounding ourselves (and filling ourselves) with ever more of it. Ad infinitum.

Most of what goes into our Ridwell pickup is plastic: multi-layer plastic, plastic film, #1 PET plastic, and loose plastic caps. I'll get into the details about what happens to all that hard-to-recycle plastic in a minute (see "Not so good riddance"), but my takeaway is that services like Ridwell, even with the best intentions, are inadvertently helping to fuel the plastic crisis. After all, it feels better to put items in the Ridwell bin than the garbage bin, and besides, Ridwell tells me not to worry about my waste.

The entire recycling industry—and especially plastic producers—would like us to believe that we can recycle our way out of the plastic crisis. We can't, and we won't. The business model is savvy and timely: Consumers pay for the source material and its initial cleaning, and pay again to have it collected. With plastic consumption expected to triple by 2060, supply and growth are a sure bet. As plastic producers run rampant, our saviors are the "responsible recyclers," enabling an addiction that's been forced upon us to continue to spiral out of control.

Recycling has short-term advantages, but I'm not convinced that recycling is the lesser evil long term. Sure, products made from recycled plastics are touted as having fewer emissions than their virgin counterparts. Those emissions, however, are typically "cradle-to-gate," measured only to the point that an item leaves the factory, as opposed to "cradle-to-grave" emissions that also account for transportation, consumption, and disposal. Neither cradle accounts for the emissions related to reparations against the harmful effects of plastic on the environment and human health, the ongoing research, cleanup, lobbying by the fossil fuel industry, legal actions, and other hidden factors.

The recycling process itself creates microplastics as plastic waste is shredded and washed, and what doesn't become airborne gets carried off with wastewater. Of all the plastic that enters a facility, 6–13% becomes microplastics. Products made from recycled plastics will continue to shed microplastics and leach toxic chemicals into the environment, including our water, soil, food, and bodies. And since plastic can be recycled only a few times before it degrades to the point of no longer being usable, all plastic will eventually end up burned, landfilled, or lost in the environment. (Let us also not get lured into the false promises of chemical recycling, which is more expensive, less efficient, and worse for the environment.)

For now, recycling is part of the strategy for managing the plastic crisis, reducing demand for fossil fuels, and lowering emissions. But recycling is no panacea and is certainly not a long-term sustainable solution. No amount of recycling will dispel the "consistent and irrefutable evidence that plastic chemicals in every class examined harm human health across the entire human life span." Such was the consensus of a world-leading umbrella study by the Minderoo Foundation, in collaboration with JBI at the University of Adelaide.

The best action we can take is to reduce the amount of plastic waste we generate. Period. That's why the majority of countries want to impose a cap on plastic production as part of the UN Global Plastics Treaty. Standing in opposition are a few oil-rich countries, including the US, who are catering to the lies that Big Oil has been telling. Those countries are the reason why the most recent talks from August 2025 ended with no agreements and no clear path forward.

The Ridwell transparency page assures me that things go exactly where they should be going. But where exactly is that?

Not so good riddance: Where the plastic goes

The fate of the materials Ridwell collects often depends on location, since many of the partners are local or regional. None of the plastic recycling partners I looked into is without fault, some more egregious than others. Here's an overview of my findings, starting with the partner I find most appalling. I can't help but ask, "What exactly are the criteria for responsible and sustainable?"

Arqlite: Smart Gravel

Arqlite is a synthetic "smart gravel" made entirely from plastic waste. Commercially, it's used in ready-mix concrete, drainage layers, and vents. Residentially, it's used for gardening and landscaping. As a gravel replacement, it puts a dent in the carbon emissions of concrete, mineral gravel, and crushed rock.

I can't stress enough how much I abhor the idea of filling the ground with plastic pellets that will eventually get lost in the environment. Purportedly, the product is leach-free and microplastic-free, but since it's made from plastics that do leach toxic chemicals and do create microplastics, the claim is dubious. The Arqlite Environmental Product Declaration doesn't mention leaching or microplastics, and instead makes another dubious claim:

"There are no regulated substances of very high concern known to be used in the manufacturing process or within the raw materials used in the final product."

There can be "no regulated substances of very high concern known to be used" only because most chemicals used in plastics are unregulated and many are unknown. Consider the following key findings from a 2024 report by the PlastChem project:

At least 16,000 known plastic chemicals are potentially used or present in plastics.
Over 4200 plastic chemicals (25%) are hazardous to human health or the environment.
More than 1800 chemicals of concern have a high exposure potential, and each major plastic type can contain at least 400 chemicals of concern.
Many plastic chemicals lack public and verifiable information on their identities and structure (25%), functions (50%), presence in plastic (56%), and hazards (66%).
Only 6% of all plastic chemicals are regulated internationally, with additional, national regulations applying to 1000 chemicals.

After I learned that a key investor is Coca-Cola, the world's leading plastic polluter, my hackles went up even higher. There isn't a lot of information available about the company; the link to http://www.arqlite.com from the Arqlite LinkedIn page results in a "domain not found" error.

HydroBlox: HydroPlanks and HydroNoodles

Hydroblox creates HydroPlanks and HydroNoodles, drainage materials made entirely from plastic waste. HydroPlanks are an alternative to French drains and can be used under pavers and behind retaining walls. HydroNoodles are made from the same material, just loose instead of compressed, and are intended as filler for pots, planters, and garden beds.

The manufacturing process requires no heat, water, glues, or binders and produces no harmful emissions. However, here again the solution to plastic in a landfill is recycled plastic in the ground, a practice that defies common sense.

I wasn't able to locate an environmental product declaration or a material safety data sheet, and the company's sustainability page was a disappointment, featuring not much more than photos of post-consumer plastic waste. When I contacted the company, they side-stepped my question about microplastics created during the manufacturing process and instead offered the following reassurance:

"When we were tested for applications in the European Union, there was no issue reported. The EU testing is much more involved than what we do here in the States. We regularly do testing for leaching here per the EPA. The results were undetectable levels for 184 analytes."

Still, I'm not convinced that putting plastic in the ground is a good idea, and 184 analytes is a mere fraction of the 16,000+ chemicals used in plastics.

ByFusion: ByBlock and ByPad

ByFusion creates ByBlock®, a construction-grade building material made entirely from nearly all kinds of plastic waste, including plastic film, multi-layer plastic, food containers and packaging, bioplastics, and rigid plastics. ByBlocks are suited for retaining walls, sound walls, fencing, accent walls, and similar projects. After assembly, the blocks are meant to be finished with stucco, rockery, siding, or other cladding material. ByFusion also offers ByPad kits for building tool sheds, workshops, home office or studio spaces, meditation or play rooms, or other applications where you need some extra space. As an alternative to concrete blocks, ByBlocks use 83% less CO2 and are made with a carbon-neutral, zero-waste process.

The ByFusion ByBlock environmental product declaration doesn't address microplastics or other contaminants created during the manufacturing process, offering instead generic statements like "ByFusion is committed to minimizing the environmental impact..." and "The health and safety of employees and contractors is a primary focal point...."

At least the blocks are reusable, and in attempt to minimize waste that occurs during construction, the company offers the following guidance in its product data sheet:

"When cut in half, it is common for some particles of plastic to become loose. Use the collection bag that comes with every pallet to collect ByBlock construction debris and send back to ByFusion to make more ByBlock - zero waste."

I would love to know how many collection bags get returned. (I didn't ask.)

A much bigger downside is the effects from combining different plastics together. Susanne Brander, an ecotoxicologist at Oregon State University who studies the impacts of plastics on the environment and human health states that “Every time you combine different plastics together to make an ecobrick, you are making new mixtures of those chemicals, and every time you make new mixtures of those chemicals, you could potentially be causing more or different health impacts.” She also calls out that if these types of building materials get destroyed in a disaster, there's an added risk of these toxic materials getting released into the environment. In the event of fire, plastics produce toxic smoke full of VOCs, including highly carcinogenic benzene and other contaminants. Those same toxins are also present in the resulting ash, making cleanup a particularly hazardous task.

Trex: Engineered outdoor living products

Trex manufactures composite "wood" products from reclaimed sawdust and recycled plastic film. A wide range of applications include decking, fencing, cladding, outdoor furniture and kitchens—even corn hole boards. These products have a smaller carbon footprint and produce fewer air pollutants than their counterparts made with pressure-treated wood, and nearly all scrap composite materials are reclaimed and put back into production. The company boasts multiple "green building" awards and plants one tree for every piece of furniture sold.

The material safety data sheet for the decking material indicates that the product is 70 – 95% PVC resin and claims that "No data is available on the adverse efforts of this product on the environment." Conversely, PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is considered by Greenpeace to be the most environmentally damaging plastic and one of the most toxic substances on the planet. The data sheet also calls out that the material is an "unusual fire and explosion hazard" and cautions that chips or dust created during fabrication must be disposed of "only in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations." It advises against eating, drinking, or smoking in the work area, and recommends wearing an approved particulate filter respirator and washing hands thoroughly after handling, especially before eating, drinking, smoking, chewing, or using restroom facilities.

Styrofoam, the stuff of nightmares and so much microplastic. Images from the Blue Goblin website

Blue Goblin: Recycled Styrofoam

Blue Goblin accepts a wide range of foam products for recycling, but the website offers no details about how the collected materials are processed and what the environmental impact is. The company sells new and reconditioned foam blocks intended for carving projects, and they offer custom carving services, whether you want a life-size blue goblin mascot or an entire movie set. Not so fun fact from the website: "In the TV & film industry, large-scale sets, even whole cities, are often created from carved plastic foam." They also sell a sealant and adhesives specifically for use with foam and rent out a Billy Goat vacuum for cleaning up debris. The company seems to exist simply to perpetuate ephemera, leaving in its wake a steady stream of fluffy white microplastic particles.

The company did not respond to my request for copies of their materials safety data sheet and environmental product declaration, or to my question about whether the sealant or adhesives contain PFAS chemicals or other toxic contaminants.

Tragicomically, this image from the First Star Recycling website reminds me that Godot never emerged.

First Star Recycling: Solutions Plastic Lumber Products

Solutions Plastic Lumber Products manufactures planks made entirely from recycled plastic that's molded to mimic a wood-like grain. The planks are intended for turf installation, trailers, landscaping, and garden builds. They also manufacture plastic nailer boards for installing artificial turf, a product I abhor nearly as much as plastic gravel.

The company did not respond to my request for copies of their materials safety data sheet and environmental product declaration.

Merlin Plastics: PCR

Merlin Plastics sorts and cleans the plastic waste it receives and then turns it into plastic pellets known as post-consumer resin, or PCR. These pellets are then sold and turned into more single-use plastic that becomes more plastic waste. On the plus side, 99% of the processing machinery is powered by electricity instead of fossil fuels. Based in Canada, the company opens its arms to post-consumer waste from all of North America and elsewhere in the world.

Not so good actions

When a company's actions contribute to the problems it aims to address, I'm skeptical. Instead of being a stronger advocate against plastic consumption, I've noticed Ridwell putting more plastic into circulation.

Ridwell offered yard signs to customers as part of a marketing campaign. The signs were made of corrugated plastic. They claimed that the signs and their metal stakes would be recycled where possible. (Although when I asked, they were still looking for a recycling partner to handle them.) They justified the campaign in terms of the greater good: "We still view it as a net positive in terms of waste because if a sign led to even a single person joining Ridwell or sharing some of their hard-to-recycle materials with a neighbor, they've put far less volume in a landfill than a single sign." Okay, whatever, moving on.

Then came the collection bags. Initially made from a durable cotton, the replacements are more often synthetic. A shame, because all synthetic fabrics shed microplastic fibers, especially when laundered. I asked the company for the reason behind the change, and they explained that "[t]he switch from cotton to a synthetic fabric was made to improve durability, reduce issues like mold and mildew (something that was common with the cotton bags if they were left in the bin since there is little circulation), and to limit smells that stick around even on clean bags. We know environmental impact is crucial in all we do, and making this switch means we churn fewer bags - reducing being the most important of the "Three R's" of sustainability." Cheaper too, I suppose, capitalizing on the profits of now over the consequences of later, and another example of Big Oil is winning every time we turn to plastic as the responsible, sustainable choice.

Next up are the single-use plastic collection bags. Extruded polystyrene foam, known commonly as Styrofoam, goes into a substantially sized orange plastic bag. I don't encounter much Styrofoam, and many months or possibly years will pass before the bag is filled and ready for pickup, so I'm not as grumpy about this one. I suspect that plastic bags work better anyway, since Styrofoam tends to crumble apart, with all those static-charged bits sticking to whatever. Fortunately, companies seem to be phasing out the use of Styrofoam in favor of more sustainable options, and Styrofoam bans have taken hold in several US cities and states. The "Farewell to Foam Act," if passed by Congress, would lead to a nationwide phaseout of the material in single-use foodservice products and packing peanuts.

I take more issue with the big blue plastic bags. These were chosen as the dedicated collection bags when Ridwell added #1 PET plastic to its service. We end up with far more #1 PET plastic than Styrofoam since it's such common packaging for so many foods, including berries, cherry tomatoes, lettuces, and herbs. We keep a stash of nested containers in the garage and then cram as many as we can into the blue bag, setting it out for collection only after we've hit max capacity. At least this way we keep the number of bags added to the plastic pile to a minimum.

At the moment I'm still a Ridwell customer, but I'm not sure that will be the case much longer. There are multiple recycling centers near me that take lightbulbs, batteries, and electronics, plus donation centers that accept clothing and household goods. It might be worth the little bit of hassle to make a few trips a year to drop these off myself. As for the plastic, that might be better off in a landfill after all, and the guilt of placing it in my trash bin might be the incentive I need to determine the things I'm willing to do without.