Today, I visited a friend for lunch in the new apartment that she moved into just a few weeks ago. She has a wonderful flair for decorating, and I was eager to see her new home. It truly reflected her taste and interests, and it was beautiful and peaceful. I hadn’t seen her in person since an outdoor lunch we had in mid-August when I learned that she and her husband were divorcing.
Informational Link
We had a lot to talk about. I arrived at 12:30, and I left at 8:30 after we ate all the carrot sticks and dill pickle flavored potato chips that were left over from lunch. My friend is German, and she came to the U.S. in the 1980s. I didn’t know that much about her early days in the U.S. or her childhood in Germany. Today, I got to hear about it all. My friend is a wonderful storyteller, and we laughed and laughed for hours. What a great day!
I got home at 9pm, and I hadn’t eaten dinner. The carrot matchsticks and potato chip fragments didn’t count as dinner. As a result, I hadn’t gotten around to writing the blogpost I had planned to write. And all of a sudden, it was 10pm.
Instead of burning the midnight oil to write a new product review, I am suggesting that you read an informative article by Genesis Rivas that appeared on Makeup.com by L’Oreal on April 29, 2021 entitled “How to Recycle Cosmetic Containers Correctly.“
I have been recycling for years including my empty beauty products. I saved my empties for my Project Pan Beauty Empties Updates, and after writing my empties post, I would throw my empties into my recycling bin and put it out on trash day. About a year ago or so, much to my surprise, I found out that many of the products I thought were being recycled were not. Because the packages were made up of mixed materials, e.g. the pump bottles that I love, they couldn’t be recycled. They probably slowed down the recycling process and most likely ended up in a landfill. Packaging that had some product left inside that couldn’t be washed away, e.g. the paper packets above, can’t be recycled and must be put in the trash. I was both angry and sad. I wish that more of the manufacturers of beauty products would make it easier for us to recycle and also provide refills so that we can reuse the original packaging.
Please click on the link to go to “How to Recycle Cosmetic Containers Correctly“. I found it very helpful, though I am still not pleased that the cost of recycling is being pushed down onto the consumer. I truly believe that manufacturers need to change their packaging to make it easier and less costly to recycle. Check out this article. Tell me what you think and how you manage recycling your empties.
What a wonderful day that you must have had with your friend! Thank you for posting the link about recycling cosmetic containers. I actually called the City of LA a few years ago to discuss the specifics of what could and couldn’t be recycled, and I have carefully followed their guidelines ever since. Washing out the containers was a big point that was made, but the woman also said that you are going to balance this against the amount of water that you will have to use to clean those containers. therefore, I clean them out in a basin of warm and soapy water first. I also separate materials by breaking down packaging so that the recyclable parts can be recycles. I completely agree with you that cosmetic companies should really use sustainable practices and easily recycled, or composted, materials. There is no excuse to be creating this type of waste that will end up in the landfill, and the longterm (and short term) damage this is doing to the planet is horrifying and preventable. This shouldn’t just be the responsibility of the consumer to do the right thing– these companies should adjust their business models, and we should be willing to stop buying their products if they don’t.
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Thank you, and I couldn’t agree more. I am always trying to decide upon washing out empty packaging and using a lot of water vs trashing it. Tubes are the worst because they are impossible to wash without cutting them open and using a ton of water. No easy answer
So much of what we use ends up as trash. I was surprised to see how it’s different here in AZ versus CA. in CA we would recycle plastic bags from stores and here it is considered trash. I find that so odd!
In MA, what is recyclable varies from town to town. It is maddening!
I try to assess the packaging before putting it in recycling. The handwash I like is one of those – I can recycle the bottle but the pump ends up just getting tossed which is a waste. Michigan has now started to allow plastic bags to be recycled but we can’t put it in our bins, we have to take it to certain markets. Since I’m not shopping yet I’ve got a bag set aside for those specific items.
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The whole recycling thing is so difficult. Here in MA what is recyclable varies from town to town. I have started doing exactly as you are: taking products apart and recycling what I can and trashing what I can’t. There is a new business that opened in the next town that is a “recycling store”, but it is so expensive to have to pay extra to recycle packaging. I truly wish the manufacturers would do more to make their packaging easily recyclable.
I am so delighted to hear you got to spend such a marvelous day with your friend. Hurrah!
Thank you, Gabrielle. It was such a fun day. Amazing after staying home for a year, how much fun it is to do “normal” things! Hope you’re able to get together with friends again too
Sounds like a wonderful way to spend the day. However, the recycling situation in the US is saddening. I wish it were easier too!
Thank you for spreading awareness about the correct way to recycle empty beauty products! I agree, it seems that few people know that you have to separate all parts of the packaging.
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It’s so discouraging when you see how few pieces can go in the recycling and how much still goes into the trash. I hope more manufacturers start thinking about the consequences of their packaging