7 Easy Ways to Recycle Your Beauty Products and Reduce Waste

It's easy to go through a lot of products. From shampoos to conditioners, lipsticks, and face moisturizers, the result is an endless flow of new bottles and containers at home. Luckily, there are recycling programs available to help you get rid of your empty ones instead of placing them in the trash (and feeling guilty for doing so). It might be a little more work, but in the end, it will be better for our planet.

Read on to find out how you can make a difference by recycling your beauty products. With options ranging from bringing empty bottles into stores to shipping them back to a company for free, there are plenty of recycling methods for you to choose from to cut back on your beauty waste.

Back-to-MAC
POPSUGAR Photography | Benjamin Stone

Back-to-MAC

If you're a big MAC fan, you're in luck. The Back-to-MAC program is a way for you to easily recycle your makeup. After you've used six MAC products, you can return them to any MAC counter or send them back via the mail and get a free lipstick of your choice in return. If you're part of the MAC Select rewards program, you can choose from lipstick, lip gloss, or eyeshadow.

Nordstrom Beautycycle
POPSUGAR Photography | Benjamin Stone

Nordstrom Beautycycle

Drop your empty beauty containers from any brand off at a collection bin in Nordstrom's beauty department, and the retailer will recycle it for you. The company's goal is to recycle 100 tons of beauty packaging by 2025.

Terracycle in Partnership With Garnier
POPSUGAR Photography | Emily Faulstich

Terracycle in Partnership With Garnier

Once you've collected and cleaned out all of your empty beauty containers, Terracycle will recycle the packaging for you in partnership with Garnier. After you sign up online, you can ship containers from any brand for free with the label provided. You can also receive points for the amount of packaging you send, which can be redeemed for a donation to a charity or school.

Pacifica Beauty Recycling Program
Getty | Emilija Manevska

Pacifica Beauty Recycling Program

Pacifica Beauty allows you to send up to eight empty products back to them with a pre-paid shipping label. Once the company receives your shipment, you will receive 100 loyalty points directly to your account. It's a win for you and the planet.

Kiehl’s Recycle & Be Rewarded Program
Getty | LaylaBird

Kiehl’s Recycle & Be Rewarded Program

Get rewarded with points or a complimentary travel-size product for returning 10 empty Kiehl's containers to one of its retail stores.

Local Recycling Programs
POPSUGAR Photography | Sheila Gim

Local Recycling Programs

Some larger items like shampoo and conditioner bottles are able to be recycled via your local curbside programs. When you're done with a bottle, rinse and dry the container and flip it upside down to find the recycling symbol and number. If you see a one or a two — the most common kinds of plastic containers — you can recycle it with the rest of your plastic waste.

When All Else Fails, Reuse Your Containers
Getty | Wachirawit Iemlerkchai

When All Else Fails, Reuse Your Containers

For products that can't be recycled, repurpose the empty containers into something else. From a drinking glass to a new plant pot, the options are endless. This can be done with any glass or plastic product, but you can get inspiration from Malin + Goetz whose candles are specifically packaged in a reusable glass vessel.