The cosmetics industry produces over 120 billion units of packaging every year. In the US alone, almost 7.9 billion units of rigid plastics were created just for beauty products in 2018. And while many well-meaning consumers dutifully toss those plastic containers into their blue cans, less than 9 percent of all plastics actually end up being recycled. The rest ends up clogging landfills for eons to come, or worse, bobbing in the ocean and slowly breaking down into harmful microplastics.
What’s more, plastic can leach toxic chemicals. This can make it harder to upcycle glass bottles from beauty products with plastic packaging, resulting in even more waste.
Why Upcycling Glass Bottles Is Better Than Recycling Them
While glass is 100 percent recyclable and doesn’t leech harmful chemicals, recycling it takes a lot of energy. According to the EPA, recycling glass only saves about 30% of the energy cost of creating new glass. What’s more, only about 31 percent of all glass actually gets recycled. The rest ends up in landfills where it takes about 1 million years to fully biodegrade.
Upcycle Your Biossance Empties
Recycling is great, but repurposing is better. Save money while saving the planet by upcycling empty Biossance containers to create beautiful home decor or functional storage solutions. Need some inspiration? Below are three creative ways to upcycle their empty jars of our Squalane + Omega Repair Cream.
Start by washing your empties with soap and water and peeling off their paper labels. Then reuse your empty jars in any of these three ways:
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Store the lid and use the jar as the cutest q-tip holder your vanity has ever seen.
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Use the jar to corral skincare tools by inserting them handle side down.
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What was once an empty jar is now the perfect travel container for all your supplements the next time you go on vacation.
When You Can’t Upcycle, Recycle the Right Way
Biossance jars, tubes, and bottles are all recyclable.