Recycling is confusing at the best of times. To recycle your beauty routine can be even harder. It can be so hard for the consumer knowing what to do, but it is also hard for the businesses trying to do the right thing. Packaging is such a tricky business, it can be very hard to tick all the right boxes. It is also easy for us to judge, when we don’t really know the reasoning or indeed struggles behind a brand’s packaging. Plastic isn’t always the villain – recycled plastic can have a lower carbon footprint than glass and it is lighter to transport. Glass however can be recycled infinitely. Aluminium comes with its issues too, the mining of bauxite is causing ecological destruction. The new bioplastics sound like a great solution however they more often than not will end up in landfill, as the regional kerbsides don’t collect and can’t deal with these kinds of plastics. Biodegradable is a tricky word – a dictionary definition is “to decay and become absorbed by the environment” but this still could take years… Compostable can also be confusing as often it isn’t your garden compost that will do it, but industrial composting. I’ve had to email quite a few brands to clarify what I actually do with a product.
Something that really frustrates me is packaging that is emblazoned with ‘fully recyclable’ but no advice in how to do so. They may not lying, most things are recyclable, but it is whether there are the facilities to do so. So many plastic wrappers for example, can be recycled in theory but most local councils don’t. These plastics when put into the recycling can then contaminate the rest of the collection. I’ve done it before – just chucking it in and hoping for the best, because I can’t bear to throw things away, but actually it isn’t the best thing to do, as it can mess up the recycling process.
On the whole I think as consumers we’re getting better at recycling. There is so much more awareness around it now, thank goodness. According to the Soil Association’s Organic Beauty and Wellbeing Market Report for 2019, we recycle 90% of packaging in the Kitchen which is wonderful 🙂 We’ve got a bit further to go in the bathroom though as only 50% of packaging is recycled. Apparently 4.5million people don’t recycle bathroom products because it’s inconvenient. It is harder to recycle beauty products as there are more mixed materials and different components.
Luckily there are lots of brands trying to make it easier to recycle your beauty routine by creating specific recycling schemes, and also just simply explaining how to recycle the individual products, such as BYBI who have a breakdown on each product’s description. They’ve also just changed all their postal packaging to grasspaper which uses 80% less energy than wood pulp and a lot less water too. JAN 2020 update – BYBI have introduced REBYBI in which you can return any of their glass packaging along with lids and dropper for them to be reused.
NEW SCHEME – Content Beauty now have a Terracycle Personal Care and Beauty Waste Box in-store in which you can put –
- Shampoo bottles and caps, Conditioner bottles and caps, Hair gel packaging
- Non-pressurised hair spray bottles
- Hair pomade packaging
- Lip balm tubes
- Cleanser dispensers
- Body lotion containers
- Non-pressurised shaving foam bottles
- Lip gloss tubes
- Mascara tubes
- Eyeshadow tubes
- Eyeliner pencils
- Concealer tubes and sticks
- Inserts
- Insoles
- Pedicure kits
- Empty anti-fungal containers
- Ointment packaging
- Non-electronic hair care and styling tools such as brushes, combs, picks, clips, bobby pins, hair ties, and scrunchies
- Hair dye packaging
- Blow-dryer attachments like combs and diffusers
The Beauty Kitchen – have launched their return, refill, repeat scheme after completely repackaging the whole of their range! Return your empty glass or aluminium Beauty Kitchen bottles to them (for free) and they will wash and re-use them. This uses less energy than recycling. JAN 2020 update – packaging can also be returned to any UK based Holland and Barrett store and receive points on your loyalty card too.
The Body Shop have stopped making wipes, a bold move I think, and now have a recycling scheme in store… in partnership with TerraCycle you can take your Body Shop empties into selected stores – which actually Dame Anita Roddick first introduced in 1993. They’ve also got a great initiative and are using Community Trade recycled plastic from Bengalaru in India for some of their packaging. Very interesting article here with the CEO of TerraCycle. You’ll get a discount on purchase when returning packaging.
L’Occitane have a scheme with TerraCycle where you can drop certain empties into selected stores. This involves skin care empties but also lots of make-up – mascara tubes, empty palettes and lipsticks for example and it can be other brands too. A discount on purchase is also offered. A really great way to recycle your beauty routine, I take most of my stuff here. Make sure you clean the packaging as best you can. Here is a previous post I wrote.
Garnier have a great scheme too with Terracycle – this is done via collection points so you need to go online to find your nearest one. I’ve tried to register as a private collector but they’ve got a primary school competition going on, so at the moment you need to find a location near you to drop off. They are accepting lots of beauty packaging that usually has to be thrown away..
Weleda have also launched a scheme with Terracycle. You can recycle any of their soft touch plastic tubes (Weleda only) – find your local Weleda advisor or sign up yourself via the Terracycle website. Weleda’s chosen charity for this is the Global Penguin Society conservation charity. The rest of Weleda’s packaging (which they are continually trying to improve) can be recycled via local kerbside collections.
Neal’s Yard Remedies have recently launched a new scheme too. On their website they have a great breakdown of how to recycle/dispose of all of their packaging. For the things that aren’t currently recycled easily they are offering a collection in store. You can return empty wipe packets, pumps, atomisers, sachets and pouches (of their superfoods for example) from their brand, but also others too. 10% of purchase is offered when returning empties.
Liberty London – they have a Conscious Beauty campaign and are accepting various bottle and jar empties.
Guerlain will recycle any used or unwanted bronzing product via Terracycle, they have drop-offs at their beauty counters.
John Lewis have literally just released news of a trial they’re doing for the next month (started 14th June) in conjunction with TerraCycle (who else?!). The scheme accepts all types of packaging, from shampoo bottles and caps to lotion bottles and jars, lip gloss and mascara tubes from any brand. The only packaging not accepted by the scheme is aerosol cans, nail varnish bottles and fragrance bottles, due to their potential flammability. (If you are a John Lewis member you’ll get a £5 off beauty purchase voucher) The scheme is available in 36 stores. – JAN 2020 TRYING TO FIND OUT IF WILL HAPPEN FULL TIME.
NEW SCHEME – BURTS BEES with Terracycle this is a great one to recycle your beauty routine as it takes mascara wands. However it can be a little tricky finding a scheme close to you as there are currently no spaces for new collectors, although I guess could post them.. They also have a second scheme for actual wipes/towelettes used – as opposed to the packaging which is covered in the below scheme.
NEW SCHEME – Deciem have also launched a scheme with Terracycle although I’m not entirely sure what it includes – all brands of beauty products and packaging it says but to what extent I’m looking into.. take them to your nearest store.
I’ve done a little round up of how and where to recycle your beauty bits…. I’m thinking of it as work in progress and will keep tweaking as I learn more… Also if things can be up-cycled then that is even better.
I always rinse containers before taking to the relevant place, I just stick them in at the end of my washing up..
Skincare
- Glass bottles and jars – most kerbside and local collection points.
- Plastic bottle and jars – most kerbside and local collection points.
- Flexible plastic tubes – this really varies on your local council. The Garnier, L’Occitane and Weleda (only Weleda products) schemes will except these.
- Lids and caps – these are actually better left on plastic bottles as otherwise they can get lost and won’t get recycled – and put with your kerbside collection.
- Aluminium bottles and tubes – most kerbside and local collection points also L’Occitane will take aluminium packaging.
- Pumps and atomisers – these are often mixed material so can’t put in household recycling – Garnier’s and Neal’s Yard Remedies’ schemes both accept these.
- Droppers from oils – these again are mixed components, in theory the glass can go in with the glass recycling but the droppers are currently not recycled.
- Sheet/single mask wrappers – Garnier’s scheme accepts these along with the plastic films on the sheet masks – the actual mask should be put in the bin unless compostable.
- Face wipe packets – Garnier and Neal’s Yard Remedies scheme.
- Sample sachets – Neal’s Yard Remedies will accept these from any brand.
Make-up
- Anything in glass put in with your kerbside recycling along with the lids but wash and separate first.
- Flexible plastic tubes – Garnier and L’Occitane
- Eyeshadow/blusher palettes and cases can be taken to L’Occitane – make sure they are emptied of product. The empty aluminium pans of refills can be taken in too.
- Bronzing products – Guerlain will take any brand.
- Lids to eye/lip pencils can be taken to L’Occitane, Content
- Mascara –the finished tubes can be taken to L’Occitane and Content but they can’t take the wands. BURTS BEES Terracycle scheme will take the wands. Reuse – Wash the brushes and use again for brushing through eyebrows etc. Some animal sanctuaries will take them for brushing the animal’s fur.
- Lipstick – L’Occitane and Content will accept these along with lip balms etc – remove as much product as you can. Other products in ‘stick’ form such as concealers/foundations/highlighters etc can also be recycled.
- Lip gloss – flexible plastic tubes can be taken to L’Occitane or a Garnier collection point, Content. The hard tubes are accepted too, as long as they are clean of product and no wands.
Another thing to perhaps think about is those products you haven’t used. I give any unwanted make-up to a brilliant charity called Foundation 4 Change who have an annual sale. Beauty Banks and The Hygiene Bank are both charities that you can send any unused products to.
Do you recycle your beauty routine? Have I missed anything? Please let me know of other schemes or ways to recycle and I can add them in!
PS please check out Terracycle if you haven’t already as they have some great schemes just in general – take your old pens to your local Whsmiths, there is even one for LOL dolls – their packaging just upsets me!!
