Retailers and brands are taking part in the education initiative throughout March, enabling beauty consumers to manage their waste more sustainably. Whether it’s arming them with the knowledge of hard to recycle products, or launching a new refill (check out Neom!), the industry is taking the waste issue into its own hands.

To mark Global Recycling Day, we have put together a short guide on recycling best practices:

First, we group beauty products into three categories: ‘can be recycled at home,’ ‘difficult to recycle at home,’ and ‘cannot be recycled at home.’

What can be recycled at home?

Some examples of empties that you can recycle at home include (but are not limited to):

• Hair & Body Wash Tubes and Bottles, Shampoo & Conditioner Tubes and Bottles; Skincare and Bodycare Bottles and Tubes. On average size must be over 5mm.

What is difficult to recycle at home?

Whilst many beauty empties can be recycled at home, there are some which are more difficult to recycle, and it is better if you bring these to a store that has its own recycling scheme. These include:

• Very small items such as mascaras, travel minis and samples and composite items such as makeup palettes, compacts, and lipsticks.

What cannot be recycled at home?

Items that typically cannot be recycled at home include toothpaste tubes, lotion pumps and products containing glitter, as well as ‘contaminated’ items such as nail files, brushes and used cotton wool pads or tissue.

It is always worth checking whether there is a store with a recycling scheme near you, where you can take any items that are difficult to recycle or cannot be recycled at home.

The good news in all of this is that an increasing number of retailers are now offering in-store and in-post collection schemes, where you can drop off beauty empties that are too difficult to recycle at home.

The British Beauty Council’s Recycling Map (Link to new recycling map) lists take-back and recycling points across the UK. If you’re struggling to recycle your beauty empties, these stores are a good solution for helping to reduce your impact on the environment.

There is still time to get involved in the Great British Beauty Clean Up! If you are interested or want to learn more, email sbc@britishbeautycouncil.com.