Recycling Beauty Products

Are you really going to use that lotion that you got at the office gift-swap party 2 Christmases ago? Ummm…no.

Chances are, you've got some beauty products that are — but really shouldn't be — taking up some valuable real estate in your bathroom.

This week, I encourage you to go through your bathroom storage, tossing anything you no longer need, want, or use.
But don't just put the bottles and boxes into the trash! Opt to be environmentally responsible.

According to a 2008 survey by O.B. Tampons, "Women confess to having about on average 12 products in their vanities. With 112,804,773 women over 20 living in the U.S., that’s a lot of packaging! Unfortunately, according to the EPA, approximately 1/3 of landfill waste is made up of this type of packaging."

If you'd like to help improve the statistics, here's a quick and easy way to recycle your old beauty products and reduce your overall waste footprint:

Take your trash stash of old bottles, jars, and tubes to any of the 550 Origin stores or department store counters.

As part of the "Return to Origins" recycling program, Origins will accept beauty products from any brand, ultimately converting donations into energy or recycled packaging.

What's your secret to recycling beauty products or toiletries?

Posted July 21, 2009, filed in Clutter Control Products, Where to give it away, Living Simply, Less is More