Which beauty products can be recycled (and which can't)? An expert tells us

Taking care of your skin and appearance is important but so is taking care of the environment.

Each beauty product we use contributes directly to the amount of waste generated a year, and according to Zero Waste Week, an awareness campaign that aims to reduce land-fill by encouraging people to live waste-free, cosmetic companies alone produce more than 120 billion units of packaging in a year.

Recycling beauty products may not be as straightforward as say, recycling kitchen waste, but as long as we put in the effort to learn the ropes, we can do our part in saving the environment.

Cecile Gauthier, co-founder of Lime Agency (a Singapore marketing and design agency that specialises in helping its clients promote their green initiatives), knows a fair bit about this.

First, clean out, wash and dry anything meant for the recycling bin. Now, read on for tips on how to reduce your beauty packaging waste.

Palettes/compacts

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Not recyclable

Anything that's multimaterial - containing metal, plastic, a mirror and so on in a single item - has to go into the bin, unless the packaging clearly specifies that it can be recycled. This is because the materials have layers or coatings on them that make them impossible to recycle.

Mirrors in compacts, for example, have a reflective coating painted on the back of the glass - and the mixed-glass material can't be combined with "virgin" glass for recycling. Magnets, too, can't be recycled.

Plastic tubes and containers

Recyclable

By tubes, Gauthier means those that return to their original shape after squeezing. Separate tube from cap, then recycle both. With plastic containers such as those for shampoo and facial cleansers, remove and discard any pumps first.

Pumps and droppers

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Not recyclable

These are also multimaterial items, with metal springs and different plastics. Unless you actually painstakingly take the pump apart section by section, it's going into the bin. The bottle, however, can be recycled if it's made from a single piece, and if that piece is made from the same plastic/glass base throughout.

Glass containers

Recyclable

Recycle only clear, brown or green glass. Bin any multi-material components first.

Makeup wipes

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Not recyclable

Unless the packaging states they're biodegradable, they're virtually indestructible. Bin them.

Lipstick cases

Recyclable

Leave the caps on bullet casings so they don't fall through the cracks when sorted by the recycling machines. For liquid lipsticks (and concealers), only the tube can be recycled - bin the multi-material applicator.

Dry shampoo and hairspray canisters

Recyclable

Most canisters are made of steel and aluminium, which are recyclable. Press the nozzle to ensure they are totally empty before recycling.

This article was first published in Her World Online.