Have you ever finished a beauty product – your favourite jar of moisturizer or your everyday tub of mascara – and not know what to do with the empty container? Yes? We can definitely relate! With all the different products sold on the market today, it is hard to know how to dispose of your empty products correctly.
Below we summarized a couple of guidelines you can easily follow to make sure you are not accumulating empty containers on your vanity (or in landfills) and are recycling the right way!
Rinse Your Containers
Make sure that all containers are empty. Product residue will attract bugs and contaminate other recyclable material, resulting in materials not being adequately sorted, processed, and repurposed into new materials. This is also why it is crucial to remove labels from the packaging if possible.
Find Out What’s Recyclable Based on Your City
Recycling plastic and other packaging materials is complicated. Find out what is recyclable in your area through your local government’s website. Below is a general overview you can lightly follow:
- Glass Jars: like any other glass jar, recycling facilities will usually accept glass-bottled beauty products and are some of the most uncomplicated packaging to recycle. Just make sure that all oils or remnants have been removed and toss them in the correct recycling bins.
- Plastic Tubes and Bottles: plastic skincare tubes and shampoo bottles are some of the most common beauty containers we have lying around the house; make sure you recycle them properly. Like glass jars, make sure to rinse out any product remnants, remove labels if possible, and throw in the adequate bins.
- Cardboard and Paper: remember to separate your cardboard packaging and paper instruction booklets from your glass and plastic containers. These are some of the easiest materials to recycle as long as you toss them in the correct paper recycling bins.
- Cotton Pads and Cotton Buds: usually, cotton pads and buds aren’t recyclable but you can compost them with the rest of your kitchen waste.
- Aerosols: they’re found in products such as hairspray, dry shampoo, or deodorants. Aerosol spray cans are made from either aluminum, steel, or tin and can also be completely recycled. Remember not to crush or flatten the cans and to remove any lids or nozzles if possible.
Different brand’s recycling programs
To increase their sustainability, brands have started recycling programs to dispose of product packaging correctly – customers can often exchange empty packaging for brand reward and loyalty points. Below are some example of such programs
- MAC’s Back-to-Mac: returning six empty MAC containers can be exchanged for one standard MAC lipstick of your choice.
- TerraCycle: this recycling company allows clients to mail in empty containers of products such as toothpaste tubes, which are usually harder to recycle.
Consider refillable packaging products
You can opt for makeup and skincare products made with refillable packaging. Rethink, reuse, reduce, and recycle. Remember that apart from recycling, there are also other options to be more environmentally focused. Reusing your packaging is a great option to consider too! Kjaer Weis is an excellent clean-beauty brand where its metal packaging can be reused and refilled with foundation, mascara, and lipstick.
And that’s all for today! Let us know what your favourite beauty sustainability tips are!
Lovingly,
Gioia
