On June 14, hundreds of L’Oreal USA employees will participate in a major restoration project designed to rebuild a local New York community garden, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Located at 237 East 104th Street, the Union Settlement Association is East Harlem’s oldest and largest social service agency, servicing 10,000 city residents including senior citizens, preschoolers and community members. When the restoration project is complete, the garden will be turned over to Union Settlement community members and GrowNYC who will grow and maintain food, flowers, and herbs in dozens of newly-installed garden beds made out of recycled beauty materials. The garden is estimated to yield 1,500 pounds of vegetables a year. Garnier spokesperson Bridget Moynahan will be present for the ground-breaking ceremony and activities, as well as representatives from Garnier, L’Oreal USA, TerraCycle, an international upcycling/recycling company that takes difficult-to-recycle packaging and turns it into innovative new products, and GrowNYC, a hands-on non-profit that provides environmental solutions throughout New York. The beauty waste to be used in Garnier’s Green Garden was collected by Garnier’s Personal Care and Beauty Brigade Program, a free fundraising effort that pays for every piece of waste collected and returned to TerraCycle. The collected beauty waste, which would otherwise be destined for landfills, consists of non-recyclable haircare, skincare and cosmetic packaging. These products have since been recycled by TerraCycle to create many of the plastic components being installed in the new garden. “We are delighted that Garnier is furthering its commitment to beautifying the planet and local communities with the Garnier Green Garden,” said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO. “Not only does Garnier support schools and community organizations on an on-going basis through the Personal Care and Beauty Brigade, the garden will be a permanent testament to the impact recycling can have on a community and in our world.”