When you think of how you can curate a sustainable beauty routine you might jump at the chance to incorporate muslin cloths or reusable cotton pads. We’re clued up on the impact of microbeads on our oceans and stock up on zero waste shampoo bars. Despite this, we often fail in recognizing the afterlife of  the products we are using. We take the time to become conscious around ethical, and sustainably sourced formulations, but send the empty bottles and jars to landfill when they’re through. Beauty packaging can be difficult to recycle as it often consists of various materials, with pumps and sprayers that are difficult to open and rinse. Recycling or up-cycling your beauty empties reduces landfill and helps to protect the environment by decreasing substantial air and water pollution. The reduction in energy that comes from using recycled materials in manufacturing processes helps tackle climate change, which lessens Co2 emissions, reducing carbon footprint. Sustain yourself, the environment, by saving money, energy, and natural resources with these eco-friendly practices on how to properly up/re-cycle your PRESSOLOGY empties:

STEP I

Remove and dispose of all labels; A lot of the time, labels on beauty products have a plastic coating to make them water resistant and unfortunately this is not always recyclable. Ensure you remove any labels and dispose in a regular waste bin before you recycle.

STEP II

Rinse out your empty bottle/ jar; Ensure you recycle fully empty and clean bottles and jars only. Left over product or residue can cause contamination when your products reach the recycling plant, which runs the risk of the entire batch of recycling being sent to landfill if contamination levels get too high. It can be tricky to remove all of the leftover product, but in most cases near boiling water should do the trick. If you are up-cycling you also will need to fully clean your empty bottle or jar so no product gets in the way of it’s next use.

STEP III

Discard of sprayers; Unfortunately sprayers are unlikely to be accepted at recycling centers due to the multi-material nature of their make-up. Follow your cities recycling guidelines, to ensure you are recycling only what will be accepted and avoid the risk of the entire item being sent to landfill.

STEP IV

Check with your cities local recycling to see what they will accept; In some cities, our product lid is fully recyclable, but in others recycling centers won’t be able to recycle items smaller than 2 inches, so it would be best to discard first. Here are some great resources: How2Recycle Earth911 RecycleCoach

Up-cycle your jars; Our face mask jars make the perfect, chic storage pots for q-tips, rings, cotton pads or toothpicks. Why not use it as a travel jar or even something outside the box like storage for herbs and spices or a pot for a little plant.

Upcycling your bottles; Our spray bottles can be repurposed too. Use to propagate your favorite flowers, or fill it with water and use to cool yourself down in the summer heat.

There are many ways to reuse your PRESSOLOGY empties. Whether you’re recycling or getting creative with some up-cycling make sure considering the environment in all stages of your use!