One dilemma with this process is knowing what to do with the “dispose” pile. A couple options to free your mind and hands of the undesired refuse are recycling all containers and seeing which beauty product manufacturers offer recycling programs that allow the public to return containers. Since many recycling programs only accept clean containers, an imperfect yet effective solution is to empty the leftover contents of the containers into a reused jar, seal with a lid and throw into the trash for landfill. This method at least prevents the cosmetics directly entering the water supply. Check out Terracycle’s free recycling program that allows anyone to download a prepaid shipping label and send the company boxfuls of used containers. In return, the sender receives points that can be redeemed for charitable gifts or for a monetary donation towards schools or non-profit organizations of his or her choice.