After more than a decade of working in beauty, I’ve tested more skincare, makeup, haircare, and fragrance products than I can count—and accumulated an alarming number of used-up serums, moisturizers, shampoos, and lip products along the way.
One of the less glamorous side effects of all that is figuring out what to do with the packaging once the products have reached their last drop. While many beauty containers appear recyclable, the reality is often more complicated. Pumps, droppers, lipstick tubes, compacts, and other mixed-material packaging often aren't accepted through traditional curbside recycling programs.
That's a growing challenge when you consider the industry's existing waste problem. The global beauty industry produces an estimated 120 billion units of packaging every year, much of which goes to the landfill, according to the British Beauty Council’s most recent The Courage to Change Report. In fact, 62% of cosmetic companies' plastic packaging is non-recyclable due to factors such as packaging size, material composition, and format, according to a report produced by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Beauty editors spend a lot of time talking about what to buy. We spend much less time discussing what happens after we finish these products. So, after staring at my growing collection of empties for too long, I tried the TerraCycle Beauty Products & Packaging Zero Waste Bag.
How TerraCycle works
The TerraCycle Beauty Products & Packaging Zero Waste Bag is designed specifically for beauty empties that may not be accepted through traditional recycling programs. The program accepts many common beauty items, including empty skincare containers, makeup packaging, shampoo bottles, pumps, caps, tubes, and dispensers. Certain items—including perfume bottles, aerosol cans, nail polish containers, and products that still contain formula—aren't accepted.
The process is pretty straightforward:
- Purchase a Beauty Products & Packaging Zero Waste Bag for $55.
- Fill it with eligible beauty empties.
- Seal the bag when it's full.
- Ship it back using the prepaid shipping label.
- TerraCycle sorts and processes the materials for recycling.
What to expect from the TerraCycle Zero Waste Bag
Before getting started, it's worth reviewing the brand’s accepted items list to ensure you're collecting only approved products. For me, the biggest adjustment wasn’t the recycling itself, but remembering to save my empties instead of immediately tossing them. Once I designated a spot for them inside a basket in my closet, the process became incredibly easy.
If you’re someone who regularly uses skincare, makeup, haircare, or fragrance products, you may be surprised by how quickly the bag fills up.
My experience using the TerraCycle Zero Waste Bag
One of the realities of working in beauty is that products are constantly coming and going.
By the time I was ready to ship my bag back, it contained three empty liquid blush tubes, a few empty moisturizer jars, an empty cleanser bottle, and several body wash and lotion bottles. Honestly, that's just a fraction of what I've gone through this year.
I appreciated that the process required very little effort beyond collecting my empties and shipping the bag once it was full. Instead of standing over my recycling bin trying to figure out whether a pump, cap, or mixed-material container was actually recyclable, I could simply add it to the box and move on.
The experience also made me more aware of the packaging coming into my home. After sorting through so many empties, I found myself paying closer attention to refillable options and brands that are putting more thought into sustainability.
Using TerraCycle didn't suddenly make my beauty routine waste-free. But it did provide a practical solution for products that otherwise would have been difficult to recycle—and gave me a little more peace of mind about where my empties were ending up.
Pros and cons of the TerraCycle Zero Waste Bag
Pros
- Easy to use. The process is simple: collect, fill, ship, and recycle.
- Works across brands. You're not limited to a single retailer or beauty brand.
- Encourages more mindful consumption. The process naturally made me think more critically about the packaging I purchase and use.
Cons
- It's a paid service. Unlike traditional curbside recycling, TerraCycle's Zero Waste Bag requires an upfront purchase. The 14” by 19” bag costs $55.
- You'll need space to collect empties. If you live in a small space, storing products until the bag is full can be a challenge.
- Not every item is accepted. Some beauty packaging still requires alternative disposal methods.
The bottom line
Beauty packaging can be surprisingly tricky to recycle, especially when pumps, droppers, mirrors, mixed plastics, and other multi-material components are involved.
I found the TerraCycle Zero Waste Bag to be one of the easiest ways to responsibly dispose of beauty empties that might not otherwise be accepted through traditional recycling programs, albeit a little pricey up front.
The system isn’t perfect, but if you're someone who goes through a lot of beauty products and wants to make more sustainable choices, it's one of the easiest—and guiltless—solutions I've found.
