Retrievr is SmartCityPHL’s first winner of the Pitch & Pilot challenge

Looking to responsibly rid hard-to-recycle items like clothing, electronics and microwaves?

There’s a new app for that.

The City of Philadelphia announced a partnership with Retrievr. Residents can schedule free doorstep pickups for clothing and small electronics. There’s a small fee to recycle larger electronics like TVs, microwaves and air conditioners (which the state of PA legally requires you to recycle).

You can still recycle large electronics for free – you just need to drop them off at sanitation convenience centers.

Fees range from $35 for a computer monitor to $50 for air conditioners.

Another weird-recycling pickup service in the mix

This is the latest wave of odd-recycling item pickup services. Local business Rabbit Recycling offers robust recycling solutions with container pickup. In addition to electronics, Rabbit also collects crayons, markers, notebooks and paint.

New Jersey-based Terracycle recently debuted Terracycle Pick Up, which collects pickups based on Zero Waste “themed” bags like kitchen, bathroom, battery and more.

How to schedule a Retrievr pickup

Philadelphians can schedule a pickup by: 

• Visiting retrievr.com.  
• Texting PICKUP to 757-70-FETCH (757-703-3824) 
• Calling 757-70-FETCH (757-703-3824) 

Photo: City of Philadelphia

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher