5 Simple Tips For Using Your Beauty Empties To End The Waste Cycle

It's now abundantly clear that the planet needs our help, but sometimes figuring out how to actually get involved can seem daunting. The thing is, you don't have to switch to exclusively using solar energy or start eating vegan full-time to make a difference.

Instead, start small: One easy way is just supporting companies with sustainable practices, like Burt's Bees, which committed to make their packaging as recyclable as possible and made moves to trim as much as 50 percent of the packaging from some of their products. Not to mention they've achieved Carbon Neutral certification and set a facility-wide policy to send zero waste to landfills (#goals). Aside from getting intentional about where your everyday dollars go, think about daily efforts like upcycling and reusing your empty beauty and skin care containers to lower your carbon footprint. You'll help make a real impact on landfill waste and save yourself a few bucks, too.

While glass used for food and drink containers is endlessly recyclable (meaning it can be recycled over and over again), other types of glass don't necessarily qualify. Instead of trying to read the tiny symbols on the bottom of your perfume, keep the bottle to help turn your home into a calming oasis. Just clean it out, pick your favorite essential oils, and pop some diffuser sticks into that empty bottle. Check out our sustainability editor's favorites for focus, energy, and relaxation.

Many cream and serum jars use Plastic #1, which is Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE or PET), or Plastic #2, which is high-density polyethylene (HDPE). These types of plastic are known as safe overall with a low risk of leaching (though you should keep them away from heat), so there's no reason not to give them new life. Try filling TSA-friendly-size bottles with shampoo or sunscreen for your next getaway—it's way smarter than throwing money at those travel-size products that you'll like abandon in the hotel bathroom at the end of the trip, anyway.

Whether you go with a traditional deodorant or a more natural variety is up to you, but regardless, you'll hit the bottom at some point. The brands vary, but most deodorant containers are made from Plastic #2, Plastic #5, or Plastic #4, which is low-density polyethylene (LDPE)—but it's all the different parts to a deodorant tube that make recycling it a bit tricky.