For example, using jars as planters, spray and glass bottles as vases, and smaller containers as holders for jewelry and other knickknacks.Īre There Ways to Donate Beauty Products? Foley encourages makeup and skincare enthusiasts to get creative with repurposing empty packaging. “ all of the pieces properly or reuse the empty packaging for a new purpose.”Īnother attainable solution to beauty waste is upcycling. She adds that the ultimate goal is to ”shift people to purchase products with more eco-friendly packaging.” These boxes can be found in each of our stores as well as our office,” says Tara Foley, founder and CEO of cult-loved green beauty retailer, Follain. Once each box has been filled, we send it back to TerraCycle to be repurposed. “Follain uses TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box that allows customers to recycle all empty product packaging. “When you have empty packaging that can be recycled, work to really be sure you are recycling all of the pieces properly or reuse the empty packaging for a new purpose,” says David de Rothschild, environmentalist and founder of The Lost Explorer Wellness.įor packaging that cannot be recycled in your curbside collection program, consider returning the items to the brand, or look to TerraCycle, a company dedicated to recycling conventionally hard-to-recycle waste. There are more eco-friendly ways to declutter your beauty cabinet, for instance, than simply tossing the products away. So before you Marie Kondo your top shelf for spring cleaning, here are a few questions you should ask yourself.Ĭan the Packaging Be Recycled or Upcycled?Īn easy first step towards enjoying beauty products responsibly is to diligently recycle emptied products. So where is all this plastic waste ending up? It’s ending up in our environment, choking our oceans, in landfills or even at times being incinerated, causing air pollution and producing climate impacting greenhouse gases.”Īs much as cosmetics brands and conglomerates are responsible for rethinking their products and packaging, beauty consumers are also able to help save the Earth by making more sustainable choices.
We know that over 90-percent of all the plastic produced since the 1950s has not been recycled, and that currently in Canada only 10 to 12-percent of plastic waste is being recycled. “Think of all the plastic bottles of shampoo, face wash, toner and other beauty products that are used and thrown away every month. According to Philippa Duchastel de Montrouge, spokesperson for the Oceans & Plastics campaign at Greenpeace Canada, the sheer amount of plastic packaging produced by the beauty industry is just as threatening to our planet. But the content of beauty products isn’t the only source of environmental pollution.