If you think about all of the plastic and metal recycling you generate each year, you’re probably overlooking a main contributor to waste streams. Personal care items like razor blades, shaving cream, toothbrushes, hair products, perfume bottles, and deodorants all contain metal, glass, or plastic, but can you recycle them?

Personal care items are a challenging aspect of recycling. They’re used daily, yet not all of them can be recycled. Explore what you can and cannot recycle when it comes to personal care and how to limit your impact on the waste stream when you are using hard-to-recycle items.

Easy-to-Recycle Personal Care Items

Among the easiest personal care items to recycle are shampoo and conditioner bottles, body washes, hair products, and lotions. Once you’ve used the item up, rinse the container and put it in your recycling bin. Rarely, one of those bottles isn’t accepted for recycling. Most curbside services accept empty and clean:

• Glass jars or bottles like body lotion, cologne, and aftershave.
• Plastic jars or bottles like mouthwash, shampoo bottles, hand soap, and body wash.
• Metal cans, like shaving cream or hairspray, but make sure the contents and any air are completely dispensed.

Perfume bottles are generally accepted for recycling. If possible, remove the plastic tube and squirt top first as they’re often not recycled. Colored or frosted glass bottles may not be accepted at your local recycling facility, but that doesn’t mean you can’t recycle them elsewhere.

If you have a Sephora in your area, they accept empty perfume bottles for recycling. Colored glass perfume bottles are happily accepted. Plastic makeup containers that are no larger than 2×2 inches are also accepted,  which is often the size considered too small for curbside recycling.

You can recycle the cardboard tube from your toilet paper with ease. Put it with your cardboard recycling. Cardboard boxes for bandages, hair dye products, soap, and toothpaste tubes are also easy to recycle with your cardboard.

Harder-to-Recycle Personal Care Items

Some personal care items are recyclable, but not always in your curbside container. If you purchase an item that is wrapped in plastic film, such as a bar of soap. Save that in a clear plastic trash bag. When the bag is full, go to your nearest grocery store or retailer with a plastic film recycling bin. 

You can also recycle things like clothing bags, dry cleaning bags, plastic shopping bags, and the plastic insert in the dispensing area of a tissue box. If it’s a stretchy plastic, it’s recyclable in plastic film recycling bins.

Anti-perspirant and deodorant containers are recyclable, provided you remove as much residue as possible. If possible, remove the plastic stick that pushes it up, as that’s not recyclable. Aerosol sprays are recyclable, just make sure they’re empty of all product and air before putting them in your recycling bin.

What About the Rest?

What about the other things that aren’t recyclable in your area? Do you have to throw them into the trash, or is there another option?

1. Razor Blades: 
Razor blades contain metal and plastic, plus they’re not that large. That makes it hard for recycling facilities to accept them for recycling. Some programs do make it easy to recycle them, however.

• Gillette: The Gillette Recycling Program accepts all blades, handles, razors, and plastic packaging from any razor brand. You save them up in a box and use a free app to track your return and pay for the shipping label.
• Leaf Shave: Leaf Shave makes razor handles and blades. There is no plastic. The company accepts its blades back for recycling, provided you pay the postage. Purchase a metal recycling box for less than $5 or use a metal container you have on hand, such as a mint tin or cookie container. Mail that box to Leaf Shave when it’s full or bring it to a facility that accepts scrap metal recycling.

2. Toothbrushes:
Toothbrushes are harder to recycle, but it’s possible with takeback programs. Your local recycling center may not accept them, but many toothbrush manufacturers offer takeback programs. 

• Colgate Local Recycle Solutions: Look up your ZIP code to determine if there is a local drop-off center near you. Otherwise, you must register an account and print a free shipping label. Fill a box with used toothbrushes, floss containers, and toothpaste tubes, and recycle them when the box is full.
• Phillips: Recycle your Sonicare toothbrush through mail-in electronics recycling. Toothbrush heads were part of a recycling program that has since been shuttered, but you can get on a waitlist in case they open it up again. 
• Preserve: This lesser-known toothbrush brand offers a takeback program with free shipping as long as you send back at least six toothbrushes in one package. When you do, you get a $6 coupon towards your next toothbrush purchase. Each toothbrush is made with recycled ocean plastic, so it focuses on a circular economy on every level.
• Recycle on Us: Oral-B accepts any brand of toothbrush, floss, or toothpaste container with free shipping labels and drop-off service at your nearest UPS Store or UPS facility. 

Recycling these items is just one part of the picture. Make sure you support manufacturers using recycled plastic in their toothbrushes, toothbrush heads, and toothpaste tubes. Also, investigate biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes. 

Consider Donating Items That Cannot Be Recycled

You have a small mirror for applying makeup, but you’re upgrading to a larger one. Mirrors are not recyclable. Before you toss it in the trash, put it up for free in your community forums or on a site like Freecycle.

A person with backyard chickens may want your mirrors to hang in runs and coops for enrichment. Chickens love looking at their reflection, especially when they’re chicks.

You no longer need your curling iron as you upgraded to the latest model, but you might have a community member looking for one. You could also donate to a shop like Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores. Giving away unneeded items to someone who is looking for one ensures an item is used for its entire lifetime and not just until you’re tired of it.

Embrace a Circular Economy by Recycling and Buying Recycled Personal Care Items

The more you recycle, the better it is for the planet. When you make smart choices by purchasing from companies that support recycling, it’s a great first step towards keeping items out of the landfill.

To help you get started finding the right place to recycle your personal care items, Recycle Nation has a simple-to-use online guide. Enter the item type, your ZIP code, and submit that. A list of places that accept that item for recycling appears, along with hours and contact information.