How to recycle your beauty empties with the British Beauty Council: A guide to UK’s take-back schemes and initiatives

As part of its industry-wide campaign, The Great British Beauty Clean Up, launched in March 2025, the British Beauty Council highlights the growing number of beauty recycling points available across the UK. Recycling beauty product packaging in the UK has become increasingly accessible, thanks to various initiatives by retailers and organisations. Here’s how you can responsibly dispose of your beauty empties:

1. Retailer take-back schemes

Several high street retailers have introduced take-back schemes to help consumers recycle beauty and grooming packaging that isn’t typically accepted in household recycling bins. Notable participants include Boots, Holland & Barrett, and Superdrug. These programs accept items such as plastic lipstick tubes, mascara tubes, toothbrushes, and wipe packets. To find participating locations, you can use the Recycling Locator. (link) https://britishbeautycouncil.com/recycling-points/

2. Boots recycling scheme

Boots offer a recycling program where customers can bring in empty beauty, health, wellness, and dental products from any brand that are challenging to recycle at home. By depositing five qualifying items and spending £10 in-store, Advantage Card members receive 500 points (equivalent to £5). The recycled materials are processed by MyGroup and repurposed into new products, ensuring they don’t end up in landfills or incinerated.

3. John Lewis BeautyCycle

John Lewis’s BeautyCycle program allows customers to recycle empty beauty product containers for free. By bringing in five or more clean, empty beauty containers to any John Lewis beauty counter, My John Lewis members receive £5 off when spending £50 or more on B Corp certified beauty brands. This initiative accepts a broad range of beauty packaging that might be challenging to recycle at home.

4. TerraCycle partnerships

TerraCycle collaborates with various brands and retailers to offer free recycling programs for beauty products. Consumers can drop off items at participating retailers or TerraCycle drop-off points. Additionally, TerraCycle provides Zero Waste Boxes™ for those interested in recycling from home, ensuring that complex beauty waste streams are processed responsibly.

5. L’OCCITANE and TerraCycle collaboration

L’OCCITANE has partnered with TerraCycle to provide a collection and recycling program for customers. You can bring your empty beauty product containers to any L’OCCITANE boutique for recycling, contributing to a more sustainable beauty industry.

6. Cosmetics recycling by MYGroup

MYGroup is one of the UK’s leading cosmetics recycling companies, handling thousands of tons of waste from major health and beauty brands. Their focus is on diverting cosmetics from landfills and incineration, offering innovative take-back schemes and hazardous retail-packaged recovery systems.

Tips for recycling beauty products:

• Check eligibility: Not all beauty products are accepted in these schemes. Items like aerosols, glass jars, and full-size shampoo bottles might be recyclable through your local council’s kerbside collection.
• Clean before recycling: Ensure products are as empty as possible and give them a quick rinse to remove residue.
• Stay updated: Recycling programs can change. Regularly check retailer websites or contact them directly for the most current information.

By participating in these recycling initiatives, you contribute to a more sustainable beauty industry, ensuring that product packaging is repurposed responsibly and reducing environmental impact.

Explore more beauty and cosmetics packaging initiatives at PCD London, part of London Packaging Week – with 1000’s of innovations to inspire your next project and plenty of sustainable and refillable packaging solutions for you to browse.