Ridwell is Coming to Queen Anne Lutheran!
Many of you have seen the small white boxes with red lettering on porch stoops in the neighborhood. Starting in September, Queen Anne Lutheran will have its own box! These are the Ridwell boxes where we can deposit certain items not accepted by recycling in Seattle. Ridwell is a Queen Anne-based company which finds homes for various items to keep them out of the landfill. Twice a month, they will be picking up the following items:
Plastic film: Shipping material, plastic bags, plastic wrap, food bags, and more
Clothing, Fabric, and Shoes: Nearly all shoes, clothes, and textiles and more
Household Batteries: Household batteries: Alkaline, hearing aid, rechargeable, and small lithium ion batteries
Household Light Bulbs: Household variety light bulbs: LEDs, CFLs, small fluorescent, and incandescent
A rotating 5th category: See the Ridwell website to see what they are taking. This category ranges from canned goods to bottle caps, back to school supplies to yarn, and is based on a short-term identified need or partner who has agreed to take the item. We will endeavor to include the category in future issues of The Quill.
We will provide additional details as to the location of drop off and which days they will be picking up next month.
Answers to Some Perplexing Recycling Questions
In the meantime, here are some things to know about your own recycling, (if you recycle through Seattle Public Utilities) thanks to church member Robert Whitehorn and “Ask Evelyn” of Seattle Public Utilities:
Does Seattle have an upper size limit on corrugated cardboard recycling?
Yes, cardboard should be broken down to smaller than 4 feet by 4 feet, and be able to fit in your recycling container. Anything larger can be broken into smaller pieces. Here is some more information about how to set out your recycling and extra cardboard on collection day: https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-and-disposal/your-collection-day/setting-out-waste-for-collection
As concerns plastic container recycling, do you accept lids if they are three-inches or larger? Or do those go in the garbage?
Yes, loose plastic lids 3 inches or larger can be placed in the recycling. Loose plastic lids and caps smaller than 3 inches should be placed in the garbage, as items smaller than 3 inches can fall through recycling equipment.
We do accept (empty and clean) plastic containers with plastic caps on, even if the caps are smaller than 3 inches. This only applies to plastic caps on plastic containers; please make sure to screw the cap back on the container tightly.
Do you accept milk cartons (cardboard with plastic spout)? If yes, you do accept them, should we tear off the plastic spout and put it in the garbage?
We accept milk cartons for recycling. You do not need to tear off the plastic spout before recycling. Our Where Does It Go Tool also has great information on proper disposal of all types of milk cartons: https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-and-disposal/where-does-it-go#/item/milk-carton
Do you accept clean aluminum foil?
We only accept aluminum foil that is clean, dry, and larger than 3 inches in size in the recycling (do not crumple). Aluminum foil that is food soiled or less than 3 inches should be placed in the garbage. Check out our “Where Does It Go” tool for more information: https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-and-disposal/where-does-it-go#/item/aluminum-foil
Does the three-inch lower size limit apply to paper? Or do small scraps of paper go in the garbage?
The three-inch lower size applies to all recycling, including paper. Anything smaller than 3 inches can fall through recycling equipment, and can’t be sorted.
Shredded paper (without any plastic whatsoever) can go into the compost container. So small bits of regular paper can go into the compost as long as there isn’t a lot of ink or heavy printing on it.
