A Simple Guide to Recycling Beauty Products

Clean beauty is the next big thing in skincare. At Poko, we've long since practised the idea of eco-friendly, recyclable packaging. We also want to go the extra mile, and help you recycle our beauty products.

In fact, 80% of our packaging is recyclable. However, it's not as simple as putting our bottles and jars in the green bin before leaving it out. Before discarding them, there are a few steps you should take, which will help prep your bottles for recycling.

This can get confusing -- especially for those of us new to recycling! Thankfully, our green guide is here to help you recycle your Poko beauty products (and packaging)!

What Poko beauty products can I recycle?

At Poko, we're working towards building a sustainable beauty brand. At the moment, most of our packaging (up to 80%!) can be recycled. These products are our...

• Correcting Eye Cream: Everything in our Correcting Eye Cream's inner packaging can be recycled. The lid, applicator, and bottle are all plastic. Therefore, they can go in the plastic recycling bin.
  
  

• Luxury Facial Oil: Our Luxury Facial Oil comes in an exquisite glass jar. After use, this can go to your local glass recycling bank.

• Regenerating Collagen Moisturiser: Our Regenerating Collagen Moisturiser is a standout beauty product -- and you can recycle everything in its outer packaging. Place its plastic lid into your green bin, and take the glass jar to your local recycling bank.

• Soothing Serum: The entirety of our Soothing Serum's outer packaging is recyclable. Dispose of both the plastic lid and pump in your green recycling bin. However, take the glass jar to your local glass bank to properly recycle it.

• Light Hydrating Moisturiser: Simply recycle our Light Hydrating Moisturiser's outer packaging the same way as many of our other beauty products. Dispose of the plastic lid in your green recycling bin, and take the glass jar to your local glass and bottle bank.

We're also working on making our Poko's other products completely sustainable and recyclable. However, you can still kickstart your recycling journey; recycle the beauty products you have, before making your next Poko purchase!

How do I recycle my beauty products?

Now that you know what you can recycle, it's time to get started! Recycling our packaging really is as easy as one, two, three. To emphasise this, we've put together a handy three-step method. By reading and following these steps, you'll get your beauty products are ready to recycle in no time!

Step 1: Check your packaging

Before you start to recycle your beauty product's packaging, it's important that you check it beforehand. Look for that all-too-familiar "recycle" logo. This will help establish that you can, in fact, recycle the packaging.

Sometimes, this logo might indicate that only some of the packaging can be recycled. Therefore, it's always best to check the recycling guidelines (like this one!) before launching into a recycling routine.

However, if the packaging isn't branded with the logo, it's best to dispose of it the way you usually would. By doing this, you can make sure that it won't accidentally find its way into a recycling system, and complicate the entire process.

Step 2: Time to wash up!

By now, you'll have established which packaging is and isn't recyclable. However, there's one more step when you recycle the packaging from your beauty products! In fact, this is the most crucial part -- you'll want to wash the packaging before sorting it.

This is because the packaging often contains trace amounts of the product itself. While the packaging might be recyclable, the products usually aren't. Therefore, take a moment to wash out your packaging before sorting it.

In this case, a little can go a long way. In fact, cleaning out your containers will help speed the entire process along. It'll also help avoid cross-contamination at the recycling centre.

Step 3: Sort your packaging

Once you've rinsed out the packaging, it's time to sort your recycling. When it comes to beauty products, you can recycle most plastic and cardboard from home. Simply break down the cardboard into smaller, more manageable pieces, and place them in your green bin.

However, with glass, the process can be a little more complicated. This is because glass doesn't go in any of your bins -- especially not if you hope to recycle it. Thankfully, you'll likely have a glass or bottle bank in your general vicinity.

You can recycle glass packaging from your beauty products here. Generally, we'd recommend looking for the bottle bank nearest to you. Sometimes, you might have to divide the bottles according to colour; this can be done at home.

Once you've sorted your glass, head over to your nearest bottle bank, dispose of it, and you're done! Recycling -- and playing a part in sustainable beauty -- has never been easier.

For a more condensed version, head over to our Instagram page to watch a video on recycling your Poko packaging and beauty products.