How To Recycle Your Beauty Products

Reusable shopping bags and water bottles are popping up everywhere as we all become more conscious of our plastic waste footprint. The beauty industry produces a significant amount of waste, in the form of packaging, each year that, sadly we as consumers are throwing away rather than beauty recycling. Lucky for you, sustainable beauty is possible and a lot easier than you may think.beauty recycling beauty recycling beauty recycling

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What is Recyclable Beauty Packaging? and How to Recycle Beauty Products?

Not all plastic is created equal when it comes to recycling. To keep things simple where possible stick to buying products that come in containers, jugs, tubs and glass. Anything that is flexible or squeezable, tubes of toothpaste, hand cream and sunscreen, sadly can’t be recycled.

Yes, you do need to rinse out your containers before heading to the recycling bin. A few drops of product won’t hurt but if the container has enough shampoo to wash your hair you will need to clean it first. This crucial step is needed because if the liquids mix with other recyclable materials like paper or cardboard, they will get soiled and ultimately ruin its ability to be recycled and adding more waste into the world.

Did you know plastic caps are too small to be recycled on their own? Instead, leave them on the bottle or jar they came with before recycling.

Let’s talk about aerosol cans. Hairspray, dry shampoo and deodorant cans made from aluminium, steel or tin can be thrown into your recycling bin, just make sure they are 100% empty before throwing them away.

How to Recycle Old Makeup and Skincare in Australia?

You’ve got the basics of beauty recycling covered but have you ever wondered what to do with your draw full of old lipsticks, eyeshadow pallets, liquid foundation and eyeliner pencils? Meet TerraCycle, a social enterprise spanning 21 countries. TerraCycle teams up with brands to help Australians reduce their waste footprint by collecting your old skincare, beauty and personal hygiene packaging.

There are a number of free recycling programs operating in Australia at the moment including:

You can also pay to receive a Beauty Products and Packaging Zero Waste Box. Simply pack your box full of your old makeup containers and beauty products and Terrcycle will do the hard work for you. Your products are separated into different forms of plastic before undergoing treatment to be moulded into new recycled plastic products.

Donate To A Good Cause

Calling all beauty lovers! Whether they were gifts or sale items you couldn’t pass up, we know you have a draw (or two) of unused makeup and beauty products; rather than letting your collection sit there until you finally throw things out, why not donate to the Beauty Bank? The Beauty Bank provides those who have fled domestic violence or other hardship situations with an amazing array of essential toiletries, including toothpaste, skincare, shampoo, razors, sanitary items, body wash and makeup.

For all the animal lovers out there, start saving your old mascara wands. The North Carolina based Appalachian Wildlife Refuge receives donations from all over the world of recycled mascara wands. They use the common beauty product to brush the fur of small animals and to help remove fly eggs and larvae.

When in Doubt Go Zero Waste and Refill

Although recycling is extremely important, the recycling process uses enormous amounts of energy so avoid adding new plastics to the world in the first place is even better. There is a growing number of Australian companies moving towards more sustainable practices that now offer zero waste and refillable beauty products.

1. Lush Refillable Lipsticks

Offering a broad range of colour choices, Lush lipsticks are a sustainable beauty lover’s dream come true. This lipstick comes with zero plastic packaging; you just peel off the protective wax layer and pop it in one of their refillable lipstick cases. Lush also has a dedicated section on their website for zero-waste cosmetics where you can order everything from body scrubs, shampoo and foundation, minus all the packaging.

2. Zao Makeup Australia Refillable Mascara

Zao’s mascara is 100% natural and comes in a recyclable bamboo tube. When you run out of product simply jump online and order your refill rather than purchasing a new tube.

3. Dirty Hippie Zero Waste Eyeshadow

There are many reasons why we love Dirty Hippie’s Eyeshadow. Their product is 100% natural and zero waste. When you’ve finished you can order refills that will arrive in 100% recycled paper envelopes and the pallet tin is 100% recyclable. What more could you ask for?

4. Eco Minerals Refillable Foundation

Eco Minerals offer an extensive refillable foundation range. You can purchase their foundation in a reusable jar or get their plastic-free refill sachets.

5. Rose Inc Blush Divine Radiant Lip & Cheek Color – Refill

Rosie Huntington-Whiteleys recently launched in Australia a very luxe yet sustainable collection of modern beauty products made with conscious formulas and low environmental impact. You can now refill your Rose Inc Blush Divine Radiant Lip & Cheek Color that contains a spectrum of skincare ingredients that improve skin health with each use.

Embrace Upcycling

Buying products in recycled, recyclable and refillable packaging is great but up-cycling your finished beauty containers goes further to reduce the amount of waste we put into the world.

Try these clever Eco-friendly hacks to recycling beauty products: