So you’ve hit pan on your favorite bronzer. Your Smashbox liquid lipstick tube is empty, and your mascara is all dried up because you’re too cheap to throw out very old drugstore mascara.
Obviously, the next step would be to take your trusty debit card to Sephora and replenish your supply, but before you do that, think about what you can do with all of your empty makeup tubes and pots. I recently found out that there are different mail-in programs that let you recycle your empty makeup!
For instance, you can send your mascara wands to the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, which is a volunteer-run program in Western North Carolina that helps wild animals. Animals in the wild require assistance when they are injured, separated from their parents, or when they are malnourished and weak.
In their Wands for Wildlife program, the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge uses mascara wands to remove fly eggs and larvae from the fur of animals. All you have to do is wash your old wands in soapy water, dry them, and send them to the organization’s PO box
Furthermore, TerraCycle is a company that has partnered up with Garnier and created a free recycling program for hair care, skin care, and makeup packages. The process is similar to the one for the Wildlife Refuge, however, there is more variety in what you can send in.
TerraCycle takes a lot of hair care containers and even more cosmetics packaging. You can send in empty lipstick, lip gloss, and mascara tubes, eyeshadow cases, bronzer pans, foundation packaging, eyeliner pencils, concealer tubes and sticks, and so much more.
When you’ve got all of your items gathered, you can mail them in, and TerraCycle will use them to create new recycled items. Not only can your empty makeup containers help TerraCycle with their recycling measures, they can also help you give money to a good cause.
TerraCycle also offers a point system. You can redeem points for charitable gifts, product bundles, or a donation to any non-profit organization or school of your choice. You can get two cents to donate for every ten pounds of containers you send in. Two cents isn’t a lot, but if you collect makeup tins from your roommates, floormates, classmates, or family members, you can all raise a lot of money for a charity of your choice.
For the longest time, I threw out my old makeup or empty pans, but now I have some great alternatives to make the most of my makeup!