Circular solutions like recycling keep empty containers out of landfills
One of the best things to happen last year was increased awareness around the importance of recycling and reuse. We create a steady stream of empty product and packaging containers that get tossed. Often, the focus is on reducing discards in the kitchen, but what about the personal care items in our bathrooms?
It is assumed many single-use containers are municipally recyclable, but the world is waking up to the fact that most of our public recycling is never actually recycled. Many bathroom discards are not even accepted through municipal programs to begin with, such as smaller items, multi-material pieces (such as tiny plastic pump tops with metal springs), and plastics that are not clear or white. The fact is, very few bathroom items, even those made up entirely of plastic, are curbside recyclable.
This comes at the expense of our environment. Did you know more than 70 percent of beauty product discards end up in landfills? It is up to conscious brands to step up where the global system falls short to provide accessible eco-solutions that put otherwise non-recyclable personal care empties to good use.
As part of the Rodan + Fields’s (R+F) commitment to make 75 percent of all packaging refillable, reusable or recyclable by 2025, the company now offers its US consumers the opportunity to collect and recycle their empty product containers through TerraCycle for free.
Collectors can download a free label to ship to TerraCycle five pounds or more of empty R+F product containers. Employees in US offices can also drop off their empties in-office using our collection boxes. Upon receiving the empty containers, TerraCycle will clean, separate, and transform the items into reusable materials that companies like R+F can use for new products.
This new initiative is part of R+F’s larger commitment to “Philanthropy, People and the Planet” — including the use of sustainable materials and reducing waste wherever possible.
At TerraCycle, we believe everything is technically recyclable; we’ve proved hard-to-recycle items such as cigarettes, chewing gum, and even dirty diapers can be transformed into material for new products. The technology is there. Beauty brands like R+F who work with us are supporting the market for collections, ensuring empties are actually recycled.
Personal care and cosmetics brands have heard you and are actively creating more eco-friendly ways to reduce your environmental impact. By choosing brands committed to recycling, you support companies and manufacturers stepping up to change, drive a shift away from the “business as usual” use of non-recyclable single-use plastic, and will help create a more beautiful beauty industry—and planet—in 2020 and beyond.