Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
Do you accumulate varnishes, deodorants, and other lipsticks, or do you throw them directly in the trash, crossing your fingers (strongly) so that they don’t pollute too much? On the occasion of the European Week for Waste Reduction, here are tips, tricks and recommendations to perfectly master waste management in your bathroom.
Impossible to miss the ‘zero waste’ in the cosmetics sector. But while solid beauty products and refill – or bulk – are currently booming, it should still be a long way to get a bathroom without any kind of packaging. And it’s not uncommon to end up with a cosmetic product that you just don’t know what to do with. Here are some tips that will help you see things more clearly when it comes to sorting waste.
nail polish bottles
Most – not all, but almost – nail polish bottles are made of glass, so they should be disposed of in bins or containers reserved for recyclable glass packaging, as specified by Ademe. The Ecological Transition Agency recommends throwing the brush and the cap in the household waste bin. Be careful however, it is essential that the bottle in question is empty to be thrown away, and not be harmful to the environment.
Spray deodorants
Contrary to what one might think, spray deodorants – aerosol type – are to be placed in bins with yellow lids, intended to collect recyclable plastic packaging. There is therefore no question of throwing them in the household waste bin. Once again, it is essential that the aerosols are empty. Note, roll-on deodorants should be thrown in the same bin provided, of course, that the bottle is not made of glass. It will then have to be thrown into bins or containers reserved for recyclable packaging… made of glass.
mascara
Like many beauty products, it’s all about common sense. It all depends on the nature of the bottle. Made of metal or plastic, the mascara must be placed in the tray or container reserved for recyclable packaging. In glass, go to the tray or container reserved for recyclable glass packaging. Logic. Still, once again, the bottle must be completely emptied and cleaned. If this is not the case, it will not be recycled, and it is therefore better to throw it in the household waste bin. Note that the brush of your mascara can be recycled in many ways: an eyebrow brush or a cleaning brush, for example.
The solvent
It is enough to open a bottle of nail polish remover to feel that it is not a cosmetic product like all the others. Regardless of the condition of the bottle, namely whether it is full, empty, or containing traces of product, Ademe recommends bringing it to a recycling center that accepts “special and hazardous household waste” specifying the nature of said product.
The lipstick
Rare are the lipsticks at the end of their life that do not contain any trace of material. This is why the Ecological Transition Agency recommends throwing it in the household waste bin; dirt does not allow it to be recycled. If ever your lipstick has (really) no trace, its final destination will again depend on the nature of its packaging.