Jackie Thompson
Beauty and personal care products produce an alarming amount of waste, with the industry generating some 120 billion units of packaging in a given year – as found by research conducted by Zero Waste Week. Forbes reports that the beauty industry is looking for more sustainable ways to package and produce items – including the use of recycled or reusable materials for packaging. As beauty brands like Chanel, Olay, and Naturally Serious work hard to meet the demand for more environmentally friendly products, consumers can do plenty to reduce the amount of waste they produce as a result of their consumption of beauty and personal care products.
Emptying Glass Receptacles To Reduce Contamination
Some beauty products (e.g. foundations and primers) tend to be used until their receptacles are completely emptied out, but others (for instance, nail varnishes, base coats, and ridge fillers) may dry out with half the product or more in the receptacle. This phenomenon often occurs because those who are aces at painting and decorating nails often have various colors and finishes to choose from. Often, nail polish can grow thick and unusable a few months after the bottle is opened.
It is vital to empty bottles of their contents, since they cannot be recycled if they have contaminants inside. Simply pour out unwanted polish onto a piece of aluminum foil, and allow it to dry before throwing away the foil. Clean out bottles with an acetone solution until they are empty, clean and dry. As a general rule, all beauty products (including foundations, creams, shadows and primers) should be emptied out (including aerosols) and cleaned before being placed into a recycling bin.
Separating Components Of Beauty Products
Products like eyeshadow palettes comprise various materials. For instance, individual shadows may be housed within a cardboard receptacle to keep shadows stable on the pan. When you have finished all the shadows, separate each component. Clean out the aluminum pans thoroughly, and recycle both the cardboard and metal.
Contacting Sustainable Beauty Houses
Many brands recycle your empty products – including Kiehl’s, Lush, MAC, Origins, and Aveda. Contact these companies and find out if they have branches near you. Some have restrictions in place that they will tell you about. For instance, the brand Zoya only offers recycling services on Earth Day (celebrated every year on April 22).
Unwanted Cotton Items
If you have old cotton pads or cardboard-stemmed cotton buds, you can simply compost them alongside your kitchen waste. Because it is a natural product, cotton is completely biodegradable. Meanwhile, unwanted cotton sacks that once housed beauty products can be recycled and reused by manufacturers in the future for items like household insulation.
Upcycling Beauty Products
If you have products that are still usable (i.e. within their expiry date) but you find that you aren’t using them – for instance, because you no longer like their color – think of ways that you can reuse or even ‘upcycle’ them. For instance, the exaggerated facial highlighter trend may have gone out of fashion, but the micro-glitter contained in some highlighters can make this product a great topper for eyeshadows for a foiled or glittery effect. Products can also be mixed to make new colors. Blend a little blue nail polish into a half-filled red nail polish bottle, for instance, to create a new purple varnish.
The beauty and personal care industry causes a heavy burden on the environment year after year. Being responsible begins with buying eco-friendly products made with recycled and sustainable materials. There is also plenty you can do once you have bought beauty products – including using them completely before throwing them away, cleaning and recycling them, and finding new ways to find a use for items you thought were unusable.