How to Discard Your Makeup Empties: The Sustainable Way
Mother earth is Getting Dirty
Did you know that the beauty industry made over $93 billion in revenue in 2019?? That’s a lot of non-biodegradable packaging ending up in landfill. So let’s do our part and recycle the items properly when we finish off the product.
Not sure where to start when it comes to recycling certain items?? Well, we’ve got you girl! Here is your cheat-sheet for recycling your make-up empties sustainably.
WTF is Wishcycling?
The act of trying to recycle a “disposable” coffee cup, empty skincare bottles, make-up palettes, or old items from your home, and wistfully expecting them to embody the next new product on the shelf.
Don’t just pray it’s going to the right place. Make sure you understand exactly what can be done so we don’t continue to fill our landfills.
Aerosol Cans
Most aerosols (like hairspray or sunscreen) are made of steel and/or aluminum and are recyclable without the caps. However, it does vary depending on where you live, so be sure to check with your cities rules to see if aerosols are accepted.
An important note about aerosol cans: they must be empty. Otherwise, they are considered household hazardous waste (HHW) and need to be dropped off at your local HHW facility.
Bamboo Containers
There are many reasons why so many items are being made out of Bamboo now! It is a fast growing plant and easy to recycle! Most cities accept this material in their recycling facilities. In many cases, bamboo can even be composted.
Essential Oils
When it’s time to toss your Essential oils, make sure you are doing it correctly…and don’t just dump it down the sink. Dumping large quantities down the drain can be hazardous as the oils can come into contact with the water supply, vegetation, and animals.
It’s easy to forget that essential oils are highly concentrated flammable substances that should be treated like other hazardous materials such as paint thinner, pharmaceuticals, and gasoline.
Your retailer or supplier should be able to provide a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each essential oil that has information on safety, storage, usage, and disposal. Your cities have guidelines in place for the proper disposal of hazardous fluid ingredients.
Glass Containers
Clear, brown, and green glass are preferred at recycling facilities because they are the most sought after colors. Some recycling facilities require glass to be separated between clear and colored before going curbside. Single-stream systems allow glass to be mixed into one bin and gets sorted by color later.
It’s best to check what your community requires. Glass can be recycled indefinitely and needs to maintain its original color to retain its value.
Nail Polish
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers nail polish to be household hazardous waste (HHW) and cannot be thrown away or recycled. Just like essential oils, proper disposal would need to be checked with your waste management department.
Makeup Wipes
Makeup wipes are usually made of synthetic fibers that prevent them from being compostable or recyclable and therefore belong in the trash. Biodegradable makeup wipes do exist, but reusable organic cotton or bamboo pads are the way to go!
Paper + Cardboard
This is an easy one!
Paper and cardboard can be recycled, and in many cases, these items can even be composted as long as they are not wax-coated or laminated with another material.
Razor Blades
Razor blades can be collected and saved in a blade safe container. Once full, drop them off at your recycling center and they will gladly take your scrap metal. TerraCycle will also take your razor blades. They have partnered with Gillette and will accept all blades even from other brands. Also, Albatross accepts all brands of blades and will recycle them for you via their Blade Take Back Program!
Plastic Containers
Black plastic is recyclable, but waste sorting systems can’t recognize black pigments. Much of it remains in the stream of unsorted material and either ends up in the landfill or incineration.
The Mobius loop with a number 1-7 provides a Plastic Resin Code that identifies the type of plastic used to make the item.
#1 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE) ♳
#2 High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) ♴
#3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) ♵
#4 Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) ♶
#5 Polypropylene (PP) ♷
#6 Polystyrene (PS) ♸
#7 Catch-all category (Other) ♹
Any packaging with a #1 or #2 is recyclable. These are the most common numbers you will encounter. #3 PVC material on the other hand is difficult to recycle because of its high levels of hazardous additives. Anything numbered 4-6 is usually unrecyclable, but it depends on your community’s rules. #7 items mean it’s made up of a mixture of plastics or a different plastic than listed. This number usually cannot be recycled but in some cases, it can.
Multi-Layered/
Material Products
This means that different types of plastic or a combination with metals are used to make different components of the packaging. Most of the time these items are unrecyclable through municipal recycling programs. Keep in mind, with a little creativity some of these items can be reused or upcycled:
- Multi-material items are commonly found in containers like flexible pouches and squeezable tubes, which usually cannot be recycled.
- Magnets cannot be recycled. They are made with “rare earth” elements and are processed with harsh carcinogenic toxins.
- Mirrors are made by applying a non-recyclable reflective coating to the back of glass which makes it nearly impossible to recycle.
- Elastic bands are made of rubber and latex which is difficult to recycle. However, this item can definitely be reused!
- Pumps and droppers cannot be recycled. They are often made of different materials and can contain unnoticeable metal springs.
- Applicators like mascara and lip gloss wands are comprised of many small parts like nylon bristles, foam tips, and various plastics making them hard to recycle.
- You’ll know when it’s time to part ways with your makeup brushes when they start shedding bristles or emit an unpleasant odor. Unfortunately, makeup brushes are typically unrecyclable.
- Caps and screw tops, on the other hand, are usually recyclable even if they are made of a different material than the bottle or jar itself. It is important to remember to put the cap back on the product before binning it (see the point about small items).
- Remove any product labels but go ahead and recycle the packaging even if you’re struggling to get the label completely off.