Walking down the aisles of Ulta with the product spotlights glowing, every mascara, hair mask and perfume is begging to be tested and taken home. It’s hard to resist great packaging with vibrant colors, matte textures and promises of results that will make anyone look and feel great.
Beauty and self-care products are wonderful and beloved by many, encouraging self-expression and boosting confidence. But, as with anything, there are downsides to that pretty packaging.
Because of the combination of materials used and the size of the containers of many beauty products, it can be difficult to recycle them with your local recycling programs. The plastic and metals aren’t widely accepted and items like lipstick tubes are often too small.
Fashion and beauty retailer Nordstrom is partnering with TerraCycle to create a solution to this problem. Introducing BEAUTYCYCLE, Nordstrom’s own beauty packaging recycling program. At every Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack or Nordstrom Local, there are bins designated for anyone to drop off empty beauty and personal care packages. The packaging will be sorted, cleaned and recycled to be created into something brand new.
Nordstrom has a bold goal of taking back 100 tons of beauty packaging by 2025 in an effort to reduce plastic pollution. 120 billion units of beauty packaging is created every year, and most of that often ends up in the trash, then a landfill and then in our oceans. Nordstrom is taking a step in the right direction to aid the health of our planet and its residents.
Empty bottles and containers from makeup, skincare, haircare and even sample tubes are accepted by BEAUTYCYLE. They do exclude aerosol cans, perfume and nail polish bottles, electronics, non-empty containers and biohazardous waste.
Keep in mind what is and isn’t allowed to be recycled at Nordstrom and consider dropping off your empty beauty packaging to your local Nordstrom next time you look at the trash can.
Find further information at Nordstrom’s website HERE
