TERRACYCLE NEWS

ELIMINATING THE IDEA OF WASTE®

10 Small Beauty Tweaks That Will Help Save The Planet

We really do wish we could be the type of citizen who lives a zero-wastelifestyle. You know those people who hold the contents of their lives in a Mason jar? We want to be them, we really do. Until we think of our dry shampoo habit, how alive we feel with a little blush, all the SPF and nail polish options we need... and, well, so long, tiny living. But just because we won’t cut down on our fragrance collection doesn't mean that there aren’t other things we can do to help cut down on waste and lighten our environmental footprint. A lot of times, tiny shifts in action can stack up — and making those changes to our beauty regimen is a great place to start.

For example, if you religiously buy the same damned shampoo over and over again, then consider purchasing a jumbo-size bottle to cut down on plastic waste. Even better, if your shampoo is sold in bulk at your local purveyor of healthy-chic things, you can often bring your bottle back for in-store refills. Another idea: Since research shows that oxybenzone, a popular active in physical sunscreens, wreaks havoc on coral reefs and the organisms that live within them, try using one with zinc oxide and or titanium dioxide instead. And that’s just the tip of the ever-melting iceberg.

Ahead, check out ten little changes you can make to your beauty routine in efforts to help spare the air, water, soil, animals, and yes, humankind. You’ll be shocked by how easy they are to make — no major downsizing required.

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

Support A Low-Waste Salon The last thing we think about after stepping foot into a salon is if and how the joint recycles. (What can we say, we’re blinded by the new-hair feels.) But between foils, color by-product, plastics, paper, and metal, salons go through quite a bit of materials in the process of making our hair look dope. It’s one of those no-duh realizations that kind of hits you on the head — and immediately begs the question: “But does my salon recycle?” It’s more than worth an ask. You might find out that, like Ion Studio NYC, it does. The conscientious salon also only uses green and renewable energy and is stocked with Davines hair-care products (which are amazing, BTW). The products themselves are made of environmentally-friendly packaging, including conditioner tubs that use a minimal amount of plastic, are 100% carbon-neutral, sourced from the food industry, and designed to be repurposed into little planters or a catch-all for hair ties and bobby pins. Or you may find out that your salon isn’t quite there yet. But either way, the inquiry may lead to greener practices by your favorite chop shop. “If a patron tells a salon that she chose it because the salon recycles, that will encourage the salon to continue,” says Lauren Taylor, a spokesperson for TerraCycle, a company that provides recycling services to salons. “Consequently, if a patron tells a salon that she chose another salon because it recycles, that may inspire others to start recycling. When consumers use their wallets to make statements, it affects change.”

Davines Melu Conditioner, $32.00, available at Davines.

Our Earth Day Actions

TerraCycle Include Canada (English)

Teresa: Choosing Reusable While it’s not possible (or at least easy) for every product, I love the feeling of using reusable containers and bags! I bring my lunch in (mostly) reusable containers; wash and re-use ziploc-style bags when I need them; and love using snackbags for fruit, cookies, and other “sides”. I bring my own bags to the grocery store and I don’t think I’ve ever had to spend money on them – cloth bags “happen”. I reuse them enough to offset the energy that goes into making them. I also have my own produce and bulk bags now for inside the grocery store, so I don’t need to collect those silly flimsy produce bags on rolls everywhere. I store leftovers in plastic and glass containers and jars. I’m not zero-waste – I still end up with items packaged in single-use packaging – but I enjoy finding ways to reduce that in conventional stores as well as figuring out how I can (properly) recycle as much as possible. Latest find? Cosmetic packaging recycling (including body-care products) through TerraCycle partners!

Recycling Your Beauty Products Is Complicated — Here Are 8 Things You Need to Know

TerraCycle Include USA Loop

In 2017, the global cosmetics industry was valued at 532 billion dollars. A ton of beauty products are purchased and used every single day. Eventually, those products turn into empty packaging that needs to be disposed of. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the 2015 rate of recyclable materials like plastic, glass, and paper actually being recycled was only at 34.7 percent. That means that the majority of foundation bottles, moisturizer jars, and shampoo and body wash bottles (as well as other pieces of household waste) are going into landfills. As a beauty editor, I test a lot of products. So many, in fact, that I rarely finish an entire bottle of shampoo or jar of moisturizer. I’d like to say that I always rinse out each and every one of the products I’m no longer using, then recycle the bottles accordingly. The truth is, though, I don’t — and part of the reason is, I didn’t always know how, or if the products can even be recycled in the first place. Do I have to rinse out everything before I recycle it? Are there any containers that can’t go in the trash? Can I mix the empty packaging from all of my products in the same recycling bin? These are the questions I ask myself every time I’m ready to dispose of a beauty product. And, when I’m not sure one of my products can be recycled, I just throw it in my bin and hope for the best. It's called “wish-cycling,” and as I learned while researching for this story, it’s exactly what you shouldn't be doing. That’s why one of my 2019 goals is to make sense of it all so that I recycle more of my beauty products and throw less in the trash. RELATED: Here's What Actually Makes a Deodorant Natural To demystify the process, I spoke with Alita Kane, community liaison of The Recycling Partnership, a non-profit organization that provides recycling consulting to communities nationwide. I gave Kane the task of breaking down general recycling rules, and how they apply to your beauty products. Check out her advice below.

1. Recycling Plastic Can Be Complicated, So Find Out What's Accepted In Area

Most of your beauty products likely come in plastic packaging (and the rest are likely in glass, but more on that later). Given the recent war waged on plastic straws and the impact the material has on the environment, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that plastic should be a priority. The only problem is that all plastic is not created equal. “The challenge is that plastic comes in so many shapes, forms, and sizes,” says Kane. “To narrow down what can actually go in your bin, stick to bottles, containers, jugs, and tubs.” This can include products like shampoo bottles, moisturizer jars, and body wash bottles. Kane says that recycling availability is different across the country, and is constantly changing — often at a pace that people can’t keep up with the latest information. The rules aren't consistent across the board, so before recycling your products, you'll want to do some digging on your local city hall and/or sanitation department websites for information. However, she says that one of the biggest factors affecting what your municipality will pick up is which manufacturers are getting sent these materials. When your recycling is picked up curbside, it’s brought to a material recovery facility (or MRF). Then, it’s sorted, packed into bales, and sent to manufacturers for reuse. “Depending on who that MRF is, and who they have purchasing their materials, locally and internationally, is really going to make a difference on what your municipality is able to allow you to put in that recycling bin,” she explains. RELATED: These Natural Lipsticks Have Amazing Color Payoff

2. That Arrow Symbol You Learned In School? It Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means

When I see a three chasing arrow symbol (also known as the Möbius Loop) on one of my products, I always assume it means it’s made of recyclable materials. It turns out that the chasing arrows, and the number that appears in the middle of the symbol, indicate the type of resin that the package is made from. Technically, that packaging is only recyclable if that resin is accepted by your area’s curbside recycling program. “These arrows are not an indicator of recyclability,” confirms Kane. “There is no one out there policing whether or not a company can put that symbol on their products, so a lot of times it’s misplaced. It doesn’t indicate recyclability as much as it tends to indicate the contents of the product packaging and what type of resin material it’s made from.”

3. Shape And Size Matter

If you’re like me and throw lipstick tubes and sample-sized serums into your recycling bin, Kane says you could be doing more harm than good. Product packaging that’s too small usually gets lost when it’s being sorted. Kane says a good rule of thumb is to leave anything that’s smaller than an index card out of your recycling bin. These items unfortunately have to be tossed into the trash, or recycled by a third party program (more on that later). As for the shapes of packages, the materials need to be hard. Anything that’s flexible or squeezable — tubes of toothpaste, hand cream bottles, and sheet mask pouches — can’t be recycled. RELATED: The 8 Best Non-Toxic Sunscreens for Summer 2019

4. Yes, You Need To Rinse Your Empties

A few drops of shampoo left in the bottle is perfectly fine, but if there’s almost enough in bottom for you to shampoo your hair with, you’ll need to take the extra step to clean it. If liquids co-mingle with other recyclable materials like paper and cardboard, it can get everything wet and ultimately ruin its ability to be recycled. Kane says that if the if the recyclable materials cross-contaminate, they can’t properly be sorted and processed, and thus can’t be repurposed into new materials. Removing any adhesives or glitter stuck on product packaging is also important for the same reason.

5. Pay Attention To Caps And Pumps

Plastic caps are too small on their own to be recycled, but if they’re left on the bottle or jar they came with, you can put them in your bin. As for pumps, check to see if they have a metal ring in them. “Technically that would be a mixed material so you wouldn’t want to have that together,” says Kane. Take the pump off, put that part in the trash, and then put your empty lotion bottle in the recycling bin.”

6. Glass And Paper Are Pretty Simple To Recycle

The good news: not all recyclable materials are as complicated as plastic. Paper and cardboard, and glass are among the easiest things to recycle — for now. The cardboard boxes that your products come in, along with any paper instruction booklets, are typically safe to toss into recycling bins. If your area picks up glass, stick to putting bottles, containers, and jars in your bin. Kane says that things like moisturizer containers can be picked up curbside as long as they’re bigger than an index card and don’t have any mirrors on them because that would make it a mixed material. VIDEO: How to Use Tinted Brow Gel

7. Your Hairspray and Dry Shampoo Are Recyclable

Spray cans made from aluminum, steel, or tin can be thrown into your blue bin. “If it’s an aerosol like a dry shampoo, make sure it’s completely empty,” says Kane. “If it has a plastic cap, that plastic cap should come off.” Since material facilities don’t have the equipment to sort mixed materials, the cap needs to be removed in order for the spray can to be successfully recycled.

8. Know Your Other Recycling Options

Alternatively, you can check whether the brand or store you purchased the product from has their own recycling program. A few examples? Unilever, the parent company of brands like Dove and TRESemme is partnering with Loop, a shopping platform that will carry some of their brands' products in sustainable packaging that when empty, gets picked up, cleaned, and refilled. Credo Beauty has a partnership with TerraCycle, a third-party recycling program, and will take customers’ empties in exchange for customer loyalty points. The biggest takeaway? Think twice before throwing any beauty product packages into your recycling bin. And if that eye cream jar, moisturizer bottle, or eyeshadow palette can’t be recycled, check to see if the brand or a third-party company can take it back. Yup, it’s a little extra work, but our planet is worth it.

7 Influential People on Environmental Advocacy in the Beauty Industry

TerraCycle Include USA Bausch + Lomb

Read the following in the voice of Saturday Night Live’s Debbie Downer: Did you know that millions of metric tons of plastic waste enter the ocean every year, and much of it is from packaging? That the temperatures of the seas have risen, the polar ice caps have shrunk, and “extreme weather events” (aka whole neighborhoods being engulfed by six feet of water or going up in literal flames) are more likely due to massive amounts of greenhouse gases produced by humans? Womp, womp. Now read this in the calming, majestic voice of Morgan Freeman: But there is hope for humans. And much of that hope can be seen in the actions of the people you’ll meet here. They’re proof that righting all of those wrongs is not going to happen as a result of a sweeping initiative. Instead, we need to tackle issues at every level. We might each be one person, but if we commit to making a difference and using our voices, we can all become instruments of change.

The Scientist

Monique Simmonds, Kew Royal Botanical Gardens Because protecting the planet means protecting the plants (including the ones in your favorite shampoo). We’re regularly urged to eat a plant-based diet for our health and the environment. A plant-heavy beauty routine is a great thing, too — but we need to make sure those botanicals are coming from the right place. Enter: the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, global epicenter of all things plants. This biodiverse Eden, 30 minutes outside of London, is home to the world’s largest collection of wild plant DNA and tissue. Monique Simmonds, its deputy director of science, has made the study of plant chemistry and fungi her life’s work. Her research has been employed by conservationists as well as cosmetics companies, most recently Herbal Essences, which partnered with Kew to verify the ingredients in its Bio:Renew line — ingredients like the hair-smoothing antioxidant histidine. Simmonds works to ensure that each plant is farmed responsibly. So in this case, she asked: Where do you get your histidine from? “Because histidine only occurs in small amounts in the roots of some plants,” Simmonds says. For the Bio:Renew line, the answer was fermented corn, of which there is no shortage, and which uses by-products from the food industry — something Simmonds is optimistic will happen more often: “Companies that use plant ingredients want to do it right.” But the real drivers, she says, will be the consumers who hold companies accountable and buy purposefully. How so? Look for brands that talk about where their ingredients come from and be wary of ones that highlight a plant ingredient as being exotically rare (where there’s the potential they could be more easily depleted).

Young beautiful woman

Vasilina Popova

The Adviser

Erin Craig, 3Degrees Because we need the big guys to get with the program. It’s one thing to create more sustainable personal-care products. But how to help larger businesses take larger action? That’s Erin Craig’s job. As the vice president of the energy and climate practice for 3Degrees, headquartered in San Francisco, Craig helps companies reduce their carbon emissions. “Almost all the companies we work with, from data centers to fashion retailers, are changing the way they buy electricity to purposefully incorporate more renewable energy,” she says. “Increasing renewable energy is possible and a great place to start.”

83 percent of millennials believe business success should be measured by more than profits.

Sustainability is also more valuable for businesses. Craig argues that renewable energy is not as expensive as previously thought: For example, in midland United States, we have widespread solar resources that are cost-effective to deploy across the South and West. And solar generation panels have gotten far more affordable. On a related note, companies are being held accountable for their social responsibility. In fact, according to one recent survey, 83 percent of millennials believe that business success should be measured by more than profits, and by the positive impact companies make on society and the environment.

The Producer

Brianne West, Ethique Because we need to be smart about the product and its package. As a beauty-loving biochemist, Brianne West quickly realized the products in her bathroom were unnecessarily made of water. “Cosmetic chemists call [water] ‘profit-making liquid.’ It’s essentially free,” she says. “Conditioner is probably the worst offender — it’s about 90 percent water compared to 60 percent in shampoo. You’re shipping a plastic or glass bottle that contains mostly water around the world, around the country, which is a large carbon footprint on top of that waste.” So West created Ethique, a company that concentrates shampoos and lotions (among other things) into a solid bar that is placed in minimal recycled-cardboard packaging that’s also compostable. Of course, as a business owner, West is acutely aware that the point of a business is to turn a profit. “What I want to demonstrate is that it is possible to be profitable and sustainable in one company.” (New Zealand–based Ethique is in the black and saw its biggest growth in the past two years.) But how to justify the flight these bars have to take to get to America? West argues it’s still a better deal than something you might pick up at the local grocery. “Because you get more uses out of a shampoo bar, which is lighter, the cost per use for a carbon-footprint basis is still significantly lower — even if you ship it from New Zealand — than if you buy something from a supermarket.”

The Advocate

Sonya Lunder, Sierra Club Because you should never underestimate online activists and grassroots campaigns. There is power in numbers. And the Sierra Club, with its 3.5 million members and supporters, galvanizes them through campaigns and organized lobbying for sustainability and environmental change. As Sonya Lunder, senior toxics adviser for the organization’s Gender, Equity & Environment program, explains, “Generally, we’re thinking about changing the laws at the state, national, and even the local level.” But that doesn’t mean every change has to go through Congress.

89,333 people and counting have signed the Sierra club’s online petition to support the Green new deal.

“With online activism, suddenly that loop is closing and an individual person can communicate directly with a company and say, ‘We’re watching you,’ ” says Lunder. “With Twitter and online organizing, so many more people can participate and petition and put them on action. People can alter purchasing practices in their school district or in their city. Actions can pressure a retailer to change the way something is packaged or to change the products they sell.” See suggestions on sierraclub.org, which has a petition to eliminate plastic bags at Safeway and Albertsons as well as instructions on how to call your senator and ask them to support the Green New Deal (more on that next).

The Politicians

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Edward Markey Because online activists or not, we have to get the government on board. Eleven years. That’s how long the world has to limit global warming, according to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. If that sounds medieval in its horror, then meet the crusaders: In February, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Edward Markey presented a Green New Deal resolution to help support change. Their plan prioritizes net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions and securing clean air and water by decarbonizing electricity, transportation, and industry; restoring natural ecosystems; and upgrading buildings and electricity grids for a more sustainable future. As with any proposal, it needs support to get anywhere — and that’s where you come in. Calling your representatives and being specific about the issue or bill in question, making your voice heard, and voting for people who advocate for issues you believe in are the best ways to enact meaningful change.

The Visionary

Rhandi Goodman, TerraCycle Because everything can be recycled. You can’t commit to loving the climate without three crucial words: mixed-material objects. We’re talking about things like lotion pumps made of both plastic and metal coils. Collecting and sorting these materials costs more than the items themselves. So TerraCycle takes objects that cannot be categorized into a standard sorting bin (toothbrushes) or even things normally tossed in the garbage (cigarette butts, candy wrappers) and makes it happen. “When we think about recycling,” says Rhandi Goodman, the global vice president of Zero Waste at TerraCycle in Trenton, New Jersey, “most people just think of what they collect curbside. In reality, everything can be recycled; it’s just a matter of being able to sort and separate. At TerraCycle, we have a team of scientists to develop the recycling process for these items.” Step one: providing packaging recycling for companies (some of them beauty brands) that use mixed materials. Two: showing them how to use sustainable materials in their products. Three: achieving zero waste through a new program called Loop that refills existing durable packaging. For instance, TerraCycle worked with Bausch + Lomb to implement a recycling program for its contact lenses and blister packs. Admittedly, this process is expensive. But companies who have joined TerraCycle (40,000 and growing) have worked not just to make their own products recyclable but also to fund their categories. “Our national free recycling program is funded by major brands and allows consumers to collect and send their waste to TerraCycle for recycling at no cost to the consumer,” says Goodman.

Cannabis Companies Are Thinking Ahead and Tackling Big Social Issues

TerraCycle Include Canada (English) Canopy Growth

The legal cannabis industry is learning from the past to make a better future.

Cynthia Salarizadeh Published 1:24 pm CDT, Monday, April 22, 2019

The cannabis industry has been described as the Wild West but there is no doubt cannabis is creating mainstream business opportunities in Canada and the US. Big companies including Altria and Constellation Brands have jumped in with billions of dollars to invest on bringing new vaping, edible and paraphernalia products to market.

While most of the news and discussion about cannabis focuses on consumables, responsible professionals are proactively looking ahead and developing solutions to address any social issues that arise with normalization.

Sexist advertising doesn’t cut it.

As this newly legal industry develops, please don’t think that it will accept girls in thongs and half shirts in our advertising (as the beer industry did in the 90s), or women in skin tight dresses at our trade shows (as auto shows still do) or women objectified in any other form.

Organizations are being created daily to promote women in this industry. Kyra Reed, leader of Women Entrepreneurs in Cannabis, started a movement three years ago with the sole purpose to support women in this industry. The momentum of her #BetterTogether movement hasn’t slowed down. Related: The Marijuana Advertising Double Standard Is Stifling Our Industry

The time is now for social justice.

Business opportunities abound in the cannabis industry and investors are making an unprecedented amount of cash available for new ventures. In spite of this, blacks and hispanics are having a different experience than whites in the ‘green rush’. Many remain locked out of this huge economic event based on historical persecution targeting people of color. Fortunately, men and women are taking bold steps to address and repair the damage done. People and government are beginning to reinvest in the communities impacted by the war on drugs.

Dasheeda Dawson, a.k.a. The WeedHead™, is using legal and regulatory measures to confront social injustices. In an article she wrote, Cannabis Legalization Must Include Restorative Justice, Dawson states “...the greatest potential of the cannabis industry -- (is) to serve as an equalizer on a playing field with built-in advantages for some and disadvantages for many others.” Even industry organizations are stepping up. The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) was involved in producing a viral campaign designed to educate citizens of New York on the inequity of marijuana laws and advocate for reinvesting cannabis revenue into communities that have been most impacted by criminalization.

Community support locally.

Oakland-based The Hood Incubator works to increase the participation of black and brown communities in the legal cannabis industry. Through their three core areas of work -- community organizing, policy advocacy and economic development -- they are creating a healthy and sustainable ecosystem of industry access, resources, and support that benefits, rather than harms, black and brown communities. Only two-years old, The Hood Incubator has built a membership of more than 2,000 people nationwide. They’ve supported black and brown entrepreneurs through their Cannabis Business Accelerator program- the first people of color focused cannabis accelerator in the nation. They’ve launched a cannabis industry apprenticeship program to build the pipeline of living wage, locally-based jobs available to their communities. They continue to work closely with the Oakland City Council and community members to develop and implement the nation’s first Cannabis Equity Program. Related: Oakland Strives to Rejuvenate Economically by Becoming California's Cannabis Capital

Mother Nature thanks you.

As one of the fastest-growing channels in both the cannabis and nicotine markets, the vape market creates mountains of waste. From the consumer-focused packaging, to the vaporizer battery and pods, the amount of refuse generated is profound. Cannabis activist Katie Stone, says “Responsible recycling is necessary in the cannabis industry and, frankly it’s the right thing to do.” What works in other industries can be used as a blueprints for similar cannabis recycling programs. TerraCycle, known for recycling the unrecyclable, is geared to putting an end to the waste, one cartridge, vape pen, childproof bag at a time. Unfortunately, it is illegal to re-use the cannabis-holding portions of vape pens, however the materials that make up a vape pen -- from plastics to electronics and batteries -- can be recycled.

Smoke gets in my eyes.

With vaping cannabis and the use of e-cigarettes on the rise, it’s no surprise that people who vape and smoke are still getting push back from non-smokers. Everything from being sent outside to enjoy their vape, to dirty looks on the street when they exhale. At the same time, if you are over 18 and 21, respectively, vaping e-cigarettes or vaping cannabis is a lifestyle choice. One company believes vaping does not have to impact the environment or other people. PHILTER™Labs, Inc is empowering responsible adults with the choice to vape in a traditional manner and to filter emission clouds based on a particular environment. Philter recently debuted the world’s first 4” x ½” dual-function filter. Developed by medical device experts with more than 20 years of experience, Philter’s first-of-a-kind technology empowers responsible adults to partake in universally acceptable vaping behavior. Personal rights and personal choice to vape or not to vape are essential in a polite society.

Learning from the past.

The legal cannabis industry is still new, but we’re smart enough today to learn from the past and make the future better. Cannabis and ancillary businesses are not just looking for opportunities to provide what the Wild West provided (gold and the pick and shovel) they are looking to the future to solve what happens after the entire industry regulates.

Everything You Want to Know About Recycling (but Are Afraid to Ask)

TerraCycle Include Canada (English)

Whether you’ve always been diligent about separating your recycling or horrifying photos of the effects global warming is having on our planet have recently spurred you to start carrying your own stainless-steel straw, there’s still a lot more all of us can do to recycle more efficiently. But there’s also a lot that can feel confusing about what can – and can’t – be recycled, and getting it wrong can result in contaminating a whole batch and sending it to a landfill. So where to begin? Start simply, says Brent Bell, VP of Recycling for Waste Management. “The recycling rate for soda and water bottles is only 30 percent today, so let’s increase the rate of how we’re recycling the right items,” he says. “If you simplified it and did [just] paper, cardboard, bottles, and cans, but increased the recycling rate for those materials, that would be a great start.” Ready to go a step further and really green your routine? We spoke to Bell, as well as Brett Stevens, Terracycle‘s Global VP, Material Sales & Procurement, and the press office for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to get the honest answers to some of the most asked-questions about recycling. (We asked for general guidelines that apply to much of the United States, but it’s important to check with your local municipality for any specific guidelines or restrictions; check recycleoftenandrecycleright.com or earth911.comto get started.)

Can you recycle boxes with tape or labels on them?

Short answer: It’s not mandatory to remove the tape, but if you can, you should. Many of us throw Amazon boxes in the recycling without a second thought – but is the packing tape creating a problem when it gets to a recycling plant? “One great way to help ensure materials are recycled is to remove any potentially non-recyclable materials, like plastic tape and labels from boxes,” says the EPA. “Many types of boxes are recyclable, but if it’s difficult to separate the different material types, the chances that it will be recycled are greatly reduced.” Bell advises breaking boxes down just to save space in bins and encourage more cardboard recycling, and while he advises removing tape, he says it generally can still be processed: “We’d much rather get tape on a cardboard box than we would a slice of pizza.”

Can you recycle plastic food clamshells, like the ones berries and spinach come in?

Short answer: Usually not, but check your local specifications and remove labels and stickers. “Food clamshells come in a variety of different material formats,” such as Styrofoam, “biodegradable” PLA plastic and more, says Terracycle’s Stevens. “The clear PET version can be put into your curbside bin only if it doesn’t have stickers and labels on it. The others cannot go into curbside recycling bins.” Adds Bell, “Most programs don’t allow for food containers [like takeout dishes or tomato packaging] because those are both overall what we would classify as ‘hard to recycle’ material … The food becomes problematic with just the residue left over that could cause contamination with good recycling materials that are in that same bin.”

View photos

What about plastic bottles with caps on them?

Short answer: Yes, recycle away! Even though the bottle and its cap are made out of two different kinds of plastic, “It is perfectly fine to leave plastic caps on your plastic bottles, as modern sorting facilities have the equipment needed to sort this material out of the stream and into its own supply chain,” advises Stevens. The EPA recommends separating the bottle from the cap to expedite the process, as long as you know your local recycling agency can process the loose caps safely.

From a New Eco-Friendly Facility to Reformulated Products: Caudalie’s Ambitious Plans For Addressing Sustainability

TerraCycle Include USA

“The clean-beauty movement is a no-brainer. I think it’s a good start, and it’s just the beginning.”

By 2020, improving packaging will take on an even greater focus, with the help of a newly hired green-packaging engineer. The company has been using plastic made from sugar cane for the past eight years, but it’s not compatible with every product so other options need to be explored. Further changes include switching more items over to glass (“It’s an honourable material even though it’s heavier to transport,” says Mathilde) and eliminating all the leaflets inside the boxes, which means minus 23 tonnes of paper. There’s also a recycling program with TerraCycle in France—which involves returning empties for points toward purchases—that she wants to bring to other markets such as Canada. A refill system is also being looked into.

How plastic waste could destroy the Earth within a few centuries

TerraCycle Include USA

Plastic use has risen 20-fold in the past 50 years. It can take thousands of years to decompose. Are we doomed?

The plastic grocery bag is as ubiquitous as it is inexpensive; nearly all of us have a cache of them in a junk drawer somewhere in our homes. And while some municipalities seek to ban them, plastic bags have become a symbol of capitalism and consumption, given out at stores and malls on every continent. Given their ubiquity, it might be surprising to learn that the plastic grocery bag has only been ubiquitous in the West for a scant fifty years — having been widely introduced in the United States in 1979. Forty years later, plastic bags are everywhere, especially places they shouldn't be. Such bags consistently make the top-ten list of plastic waste items collected during the annual Coastal Cleanup Day led by the non-profit environmental group Ocean Conservancy — meaning the mass production of the plastic bag may end up being one of humanity's biggest regrets. Along with plastic water bottles, plastic food wrappers, plastic bottle caps, and plastic straws, plastic waste is creating an ocean "wave" that, researchers believe, will result in the mass of ocean plastics becoming greater than the mass of marine life in Earth’s oceans by 2050. A report by the World Economic Forum in 2016 stated that worldwide plastic use has risen 20-fold in the past 50 years. At this rate, it is predicted to double again in the next 20 years. By 2050, we will use three times as much plastic as we used in 2014. Compounded with the fact that plastic can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in landfills, it is possible the Earth and all of its life, including humans, will be drowning in plastic in the future. As National Geographic once explained: “If plastic had been invented when the Pilgrims sailed from Plymouth, England, to North America—and the Mayflower had been stocked with bottled water and plastic-wrapped snacks—their plastic trash would likely still be around, four centuries later.” Beyond our oceans, plastic waste is affecting life, ecosystems, and us. More than 180 species of animals have been documented to ingest plastic debris, according to the British Antarctic Survey, including birds, fish, turtles and marine mammals such as whales. Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna and Environment Agency Austria found microplastics — particles of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters — in stool samples from all of their human test subjects. In other words, plastic is likely inside all of us. How did we get here, to a point at which plastic could choke the planet in a matter of centuries? Though polyethylene — the type of plastic that accounted for 34 percent of the plastics market (in 2017) — was created in 1933, plastic as we know it today became popular in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, a result of the rise of the chemical industry and plastics' cheap price point and unique capabilities for manufacturing. Early reviews saw their disposability as a plus, not a minus; a 1955 Life magazine article, titled “Throwaway Living,” celebrated the disposable nature plastics. Plastics’ largest market today is single-use containers and packaging, perhaps a consequence of the plastic bag-craze that peaked in the early 1980s. The Los Angeles Times called this the “supermarket dilemma” in 1986, which was when more consumers were opting for plastic bags instead of paper bags at the grocery store. Eventually plastic bags won the then $600-million market, despite some opposition that was made from environmentalists. Today, the Global Plastic Packaging Market is predicted to reach $269.6 billion by 2025. An estimated 1.8 trillion bits of plastic waste have gathered along a single stretch of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California, an exponential increase since the 1970s. Production is expected to increase. Given these statistics, the situation on Earth Day 2019 may seem dismal. Is there anything we can do? As I have previously written for Salon, the idea that consumers need to curb their consumption habits — or that the state needs to nudge them to — has long been part of the ongoing discourse in modern environmentalism. In a way, it is partly a result of consumers being pigeonholed by the oil and gas companies, the conglomerates who are manufacturing plastic. Indeed, as others have written, regulating these companies would be far easier and more impactful than asking billions of consumers to change their behavior. Still, even minor regulation of plastic production and consumption has riled industry in unexpected ways. As more progressive cities move toward a plastic straw ban, business interests balked, including McDonald’s . That raises questions about civic responsibility and corporate responsibility, and perhaps the need for an organized movement to fight against the corporations responsible for lobbying for and manufacturing plastic on such a wide scale. A UN Environment report suggests “agronomists, material scientists, environmental scientists and others” devise “a more realistic and reliable techniques for whole life cycle analysis assessment.” Compostable packaging using waste organic material and fungal mycelium material has shown some potential, too.

Various plastic bans in municipalities have been increasing in popularity. Initial reports suggest positive outcomes. For example, a plastic bag tax in Ireland in 2002 led to a 95 percent reduction in plastic bag litter. Some companies, like TerraCycle, promote "up-cycling," which is when hard-to-recycle products are reused creatively, say in construction, rather than disposed of in landfills. This Earth Day will end on a sour note, as plastic production currently shows no sign of abating, despite a few well-intentioned bans such as the aforementioned. It remains to be seen if humans can extricate ourselves from the plastic mess we have created.

Yes, You Can Recycle or Repurpose a Yoga Mat — Here's How to Do It

TerraCycle Include USA

tmp_t10u4D_9fbdd523b0b3340e_avrielle-suleiman-450142-unsplash.jpg

Just like workout clothes and sneakers, yoga mats can wear out after a while. You might notice yours becoming slippery or uneven — two words that should never describe a surface on which you routinely hold poses that require balance and flexibility. But before you toss out that old mat, you might wonder, is it recyclable? "Most mats are made of PVC, which is a type of plastic that's very difficult to recycle," explained Kaméa Chayne, a Duke-certified integrative health coach, curator of ConsciousFashion.co, and host and producer of the sustainability podcast, Green Dreamer Podcast. "Not every recycling facility is capable of recycling PVC, so people looking to dispose of them would have to check with their local recyclers first." Likewise, if your mat is made from TPE or another synthetic rubber, it may be recyclable, but you should check with the experts first to be sure. Other brands use neoprene in yoga mats — for example, SUGA repurposes neoprene wetsuits to make its mats, which can then be recycled depending on the facility or returned to the brand and handled for you. (You might check to see if the manufacturer of your own mat offers a take-back program.) Have a mat that's made from natural rubber, cotton, or jute? "As long as they don't have synthetic materials mixed in with them, they are biodegradable," Kaméa told POPSUGAR.

If you're struggling to find a place to recycle your mat, Kaméa suggests checking out TerraCycle, an innovative company that's made it possible to recycle traditionally non-recyclable goods. You can always upcycle, too. A few ways she suggests repurposing yoga mats:

Use them as non-slip carpet backings.
Cut yoga mats into squares to use as outdoor seating when you don't want to get your bottom dirty.
Donate undamaged mats to charities that serve people who will make use of them.

The Ultimate "Zero Waste" Guide for Beginners

TerraCycle Include USA Colgate Oral Care Recycling Program Garnier Personal Care and Beauty Recycling Program

Isabel Montes

Harper's Bazaar22 April 2019

On November 7, 2017, I stopped making trash. I had heard of people like Bea Johnson, the creator of Zero Waste Home, and Lauren Singer, known for her blog Trash Is For Tossers, but I always thought of them as very distant super heros, living a life that would never be realistically attainable for a “normal” person like me. I had succumbed, like most people, to the idea that I would always be a slave to plastic and a cheap disposable life. But when I found myself taking out a large bag of garbage almost daily, I figured I could at least dip my toes into a zero waste life. Using a spreadsheet, I began to list everything I was consuming on a daily basis from groceries to clothing and beauty products, to cleaning products and electronics, and narrowed down the top three aspects of my life where I created the most trash: food packaging, food waste, and beauty products. Then I dove into an internet black hole trying to scavenge for alternatives. The next day, I bought the very jar that holds all my trash, 17 months later. Here’s exactly how I did it.

Grocery shopping

Something weird happened the first time I tried to go food shopping after cutting out plastic. I saw these stores through a different lens; a binary of things I could buy and things I couldn’t. And I couldn’t buy most things. Slowly, I realized that sticking to the perimeter of the store is the easiest way to avoid plastic. Produce, grains, dairy, and deli/butcher-everything in the middle is a sea of packaging. My first tip: You will always need more reusable bags than you think. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve walked home cradling fruits and bread in my arms. Eco Bags is one of my favorite brands. Second: The bulk section is your best friend. Whole Foods allows you to bring a standard Ball mason jar to fill with bulk products (deduct the weight of the jar at check out). If you don’t have access to a Whole Foods, try to find out if your local natural food store will let you bring your own bulk containers. One of the easiest ways to shop zero waste is to just do most of your food shopping at your local farmers market. Favorite zero waste friendly grocery stores across the country are: Rainbow Acres in Los Angeles, Precycle in Brooklyn (and The Wally Shop for online ordering), Alberta Co-op in Portland, and Verdein Miami. Once you nail zero waste food shopping you’ll be amazed at how much your body and wallet will thank you.

Composting

How does one compost in a tiny New York City apartment like mine? Two words: freeze it. Composting was such a foreign-and intimidating-concept to me two years ago. First I needed to find out where I could drop off my compost and then what exactly I could compost. (Here is a map of every compost drop-off site in New York City.) I freeze all my food and compostable paper scraps and then take it every Saturday to my local farmers market. What you are allowed to compost is different for every drop-off site, but the rule of thumb is if you can eat it, you can compost it (with the exception of meat and large pieces of cardboard at certain compost drop-offs). Be careful with paper products you think are compostable; many have a thing layer of moisture protecting plastic. Also, mind your produce stickers because many are made of plastic and not paper.

Clothing shopping

It’s no secret that fast fashion is terrible for the environment (just listen to this week's bonus episode of Dare I Say), but it’s not just fast fashion that has some sort of environmental and human impact. I exclusively buy second hand clothing, or I purchase from companies with an extensive sustainability policy. I also rarely shop online unless I know for a fact that store won't bombard me with plastic filling. It's always best to try to physically make it into the store to avoid any unnecessary plastic and carbon emissions from delivery trucks.

Buying vintage

When it comes to buying clothing zero-waste, it's best to buy secondhand and vintage clothing, because you are using perfectly good garments already in the waste stream. Since second hand clothing doesn’t always fit perfectly, I’ll take some pieces to a tailor. My favorite places to shop second hand are: The Break Vintage, Shop Suki on Instagram, and The Real Real. More recently, I have been visiting Reformation, Jonesy, Girlfriend Collective, and Christy Dawn for pieces I can’t find vintage. If you want to find out how sustainable or ethical some of your favorite brands are, check out the app Good On You.

Buying new

Being mindful of the materials that our clothes are made out from is step one. A significant portion of the plastic pollution in our oceans (and now air) come from plastic micro fibers released from polyester clothing when we wash them. This is not only killing our oceans, but a recent study showed that micro plastics are now found in 83 percent of our drinking water. Thankfully, there are a few easy things you can do to minimize the damage. Before you buy an item, look at what it is made from. Look for (ideally organic) cotton, cashmere, wool, and silk; all materials that will naturally decompose and cause the least harm to our oceans. You can also purchase a bag like this to wash your polyester clothing, which will catch the micro fibers before they go down your pipes.

Zero waste on-the-go

Once you have the proper tools, this becomes infinitely easier. Things I never leave my apartment without are: a mason jar for impromptu coffee or tea, my bamboo utensils and metal straw, and a few canvas bags. I try my best to meal prep and bring my lunches with me to work, but if I have to grab lunch during the work day I always make sure I grab food from restaurants that use eco friendly take-out containers or that I know for a fact will put my lunch in my containers instead, like my all time favorite sushi restaurant right in front of my apartment. When I want a coffee, I ask the barista to put it in my mason jar. Most of the time they won’t bat an eye and sometimes, they’ll even give me a discount for bringing my own cup (Starbucks does this). Getting takeout delivered is a thing of the past for me because it is impossible to evade single-use disposables. I stick to cafes and restaurants that are have a strong sustainable philosophy, like Westbourne, The Little Beet, Kave, and Roberta's.

Beauty

There currently are very few cosmetics brands on the market that are zero waste, but there are a few brands that are headed in the right direction. My favorite is Kjaer Weiss, which makes beautiful organic makeup in refillable stainless steel and glass. Here are a few more worth checking out; RMS Beauty, Elate Cosmetics, Tata Harper, Ilia. Buy yourself a pack of reusable cotton pads to remove your makeup instead of disposable makeup wipes, which are made of synthetic materials that don’t biodegrade, and usually contain harsh chemicals that strip your skin of natural oils. Cotton pads like Marleys Monsters can be thrown in the wash with the rest of your clothes. I also recommend checking out Terracycle, which, depending on where you live, will take your empty plastic packaging from any brand and properly recycle them.

Hygiene

My bathroom, like many bathrooms, was stocked with beauty, hair, and skincare products in plastic containers. When emptied, most of these containers are not recyclable in the state of New York. The average toothpaste container from a drug store is one of the most difficult things to recycle and to find an alternative for. David’s Natural Toothpaste, made in the U.S. from all natural ingredients, is packaged in 100 percent recyclable metal. If you’re not interested in making the switch to natural toothpaste, you can send your empty drug store toothpaste tubes to Terracycle. When it comes to deodorant, I like Meow Meow Tweet, a deodorant stick in paper tube, and Becky Boo Underarm, deodorant in a glass jar with a metal top. I usually buy my dish soap, laundry detergent, shampoo, and conditioner in bulk at a store in Manhattan called Integral Yoga Natural Foods. For those not in New York, unable to take advantage of this, I simply encourage you to try your best within the framework your given. Products you can find online include Love Beauty and Planet, which offers vegan, cruelty-free haircare products made out of 100 percent post-consumer plastic; the Shampoo Bar, at Package Free Shop, sells unpackaged, local, and all natural shampoo bars; and Plaine Products, which sells vegan, cruelty-free, environmentally-friendly shower products. One of the easiest switches was going from the standard plastic razor to a safety razor, which is 100 percent stainless steel-and so are the blades, so they are extremely easy to recycle on top of the fact that I save an absurd amount of money. I bought 100 blades for $20 dollars and I won’t have to buy anymore for 10 years. My favorites are Classic, Premium, and Pivot Head. And for those in the North East, keep an eye out for Loop, a new shopping platform that allows you to shop your favorite brands in zero waste reusable containers. It launches this May 2019.

Travel

There's no point in mincing words: Traveling zero waste is difficult. Does your hotel recycle and compost? Can you easily recycle and compost on the street in the country you are visiting? How is the general waste management infrastructure in the country you’re visiting? Most of the time, sadly, the answers to these questions are not what you want to hear. Planning ahead is key. I never eat food on airplanes because it is always packaged in some type of plastic. Instead, I pack a full meal in one of my stainless steel containers to eat on the plane, and always bring an empty reusable water bottle to the airport. Some go to things I like to bring on my vacations are a few containers for takeout. I also like to bring at least two mason jars along with a reusable water bottle, one for coffee on-the-go and the other to store any trash I create on vacation to bring back with me (and yes it all goes into the jar when I get back home). This is also where a shampoo and conditioner bar comes in handy, so you don’t have to worry about using hotel products or bringing more liquids on the plane. That being said, your health and your safety always comes first. If you were in a rush and forgot to pack a proper meal, don’t go hungry just because you don’t want to produce any waste. If you happen to be visiting a country where you can’t drink the tap water, buy bottled water. Just make sure you recycle the container after you’re done.