I've always considered myself good at recycling. Most weeks there's twice as much in our recycling bin as there is in our garbage can! But I've realized that most of this comes from the kitchen. I took a couple of minutes to gather just some of the products we currently have in our bathroom right now, and that's a lot of plastic, not to mention the empty toilet paper rolls that inevitably end up in the trash because "no one thinks about walking down to the recycling bin just for that," as my daughter told me when I talked about this with her.
In fact, a 2016 consumer survey on in-home recycling habits, conducted in partnership with Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., showed that more than one-third of regular recyclers (34%) admit that it never even occurred to them to recycle in the bathroom! Only one in five recycling families have a recycling bin in their bathroom… and we're not one of them! But this is going to change. I've made space below the sink for a plastic bucket to fill with recyclable plastics and empty toilet paper rolls to make recycling easy and doable for every one in our family.
What bathroom packaging can be recycled?
Look at the numbers on the bottom of your plastic products. #1 and #2 plastics are the ones that are most commonly collected in curbside recycling programs. Fortunately, most plastic bottles are #1 or #2. The clear Listerine® Mouthwash bottles, for example, are made of #1 plastic. So are the clear Johnson's® baby shampoo bottles. Opaque bottles like Aveeno® and Lubriderm® lotions, Johnson's® baby powder, and some shampoo bottles, are made of #2 plastic.
Collection of #5 bottles is increasing, but they are still not accepted at many recycling centers so your curbside recycling program may not allow them at this time. Examples of these are the little Visine® eye drop bottles and Listerine® dental floss containers.
Before recycling any of this bathroom packaging, always give the plastic bottles a quick rinse to remove any leftover residue. You may replace plastic caps, but must remove pumps (these can't be recycled). Then place the plastic products in your recycling bin!
Plastic tubes, like those that contain toothpaste, Neosporin®, and Bengay®, and the plastic film that baby wipes and makeup remover wipes are packaged in are usually a mix of plastic laminates so they are NOT currently recyclable, unfortunately. Toothbrushes aren't either.
So, to summarize...
- Mouthwash bottles? YES (#1 plastic)
- Lotion and shampoo bottles? YES (#2 plastic)
- Toothpaste tubes? NO (#4 plastic)
- Dental floss containers? SOMETIMES (#5 plastic)
- Cardboard! OF COURSE! Empty toilet paper rolls, soap boxes, tissue boxes, and empty medicine and Band-Aid® boxes can all be recycled.
Ultimately, the more you and your family know about what’s recyclable, the more likely you are to do it. This is why it's important to be informed! Visit www.caretorecycle.com for tips and tools on how to become a better recycler. The Care To Recycle® website does a great job of showing that recycling in the bathroom can be easy and fun!
Speaking of fun, it's always neat to turn what many would consider trash into a clever and useful product! I made a mini sewing kit to carry in my purse out of an empty Listerine® dental floss container.
You need: An empty dental floss container
Remove the labels if you'd like.
If there is text printed on the plastic, it can be removed with nail polish remover.
Pop out the top of the floss container that holds the cutter.
Apply a continue reading
