did you know?
84% of UK households feel unclear about how to recycle effectively, and end up contaminating their recycling due to lack of information.
We’re on a mission to make the haircare industry more sustainable, one step at a time & we’ve already made significant strides in leading change but now we need your help.
ways you can change this
recycling doesn’t have to be complicated. There are lots of different initiatives throughout the world that encourage people to have a better attitude towards recycling and improve their understanding.
Here are some resources we found that might be helpful:
We would love to hear how you’re getting involved and making more sustainable choices within your everyday life. Share your experiences with us over on our social channels.
FAQs
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Do I have to rinse my products out before I recycle them?
Generally speaking, recycling needs to have no more than 5% contamination, this means it doesn't need to be spotless but needs to be mostly cleaned out. Washing a container before recycling it is incredibly important.
Clean bottles, tubes, and jars are easier to recycle than dirty or sticky ones. Ensuring that your containers are clean before you recycle them greatly increases the likelihood that they'll be properly processed. Residue left inside can cause contamination issues that require entire batches of recycled products to be thrown out. Additionally, when leftover liquids and gels transfer onto other recyclable materials like paper or cardboard cartons, they'll render them non recyclable!
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Do I need to peel off the labels before recycling the product packaging?
The norm is that labels need to be peeled off. We are proud to say that with our products, the labels can be left on because our labels are also completely recyclable.
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Why are pumps and spray lids more complicated?
Pumps and sprayers are usually composed of many different materials, often including several types of plastic as well as metal springs.
Unfortunately, that makes them almost impossible to recycle, even if they're made of recyclable materials - the entire pump or sprayer would have to be taken apart, and each material would have to be recycled separately.
There continues to be attempts to make convenient dispensing solutions recyclable.
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Where can my beauty products be recycled?
All recycling programs are unique. You can get to know your local recycling facility in the following ways:
- Check printed materials from your local government or recycling provider
- Browse the website of your local government or recycling provider
- Call your local government or recycling provider
- Google "recycling in [enter where you live]"
Depending on where you live, you may be able to use your local authority or municipality's curb-side recycling service or drop-off your recyclable beauty products at a community recycling location.
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What does 'recyclable' and 'biodegradable' mean?
Packaging is recyclable if it can be collected, sorted, reprocessed, and ultimately reused in manufacturing or making another item.
If something is biodegradable, then, given the right conditions and presence of microorganisms, fungi, or bacteria, it will eventually break down to its basic components and blend back in with the earth. Ideally, but not always, these substances degrade without leaving any toxins behind.
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I haven't finished using up my product, can I donate it?
Didn't make it to the empty bottle stage? Unused or gently used cosmetics can be donated to organisations like Project Beauty Share USA, and the Hygiene Bank UK, which work to provide homeless or impoverished women with personal hygiene products and cosmetics.
USA
You can also always reach out to local women's shelters and girls' programs in your area to see if they're in need of personal care products - they're often in high demand. Call the ones nearest you to see what products they'll accept, and you'll likely be able to coordinate a drop-off for the applicable items you're no longer interested in.
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Why is recycling important to Flora & Curl?
We care about having healthy hair and a healthy planet. We know that plastics account for 85% of marine debris worldwide and that number is predicted to rise in the years to come, unless something changes. We want to be a part of that change and make sure that as few of our products as possible end up in a landfill or in the ocean. This is why we ensure that our product packaging is completely recyclable and our delivery material is completely biodegradable. We provide our customers with the information to recycle.
Reduction of waste is also important, which is why alongside our potent formulations, we offer minimalist packaging with no outer product packaging (which would ultimately be thrown away), plastic seals, films or excess labels. We ship our products out using minimalistic delivery boxes and inserts, as opposed to more extravagant delivery options that can often be a challenge to recycle.
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Is glass better than plastic?
The use of glass in haircare products can be dangerous due to the weight, as they tend to be used in moist environments in the shower.
Stats & Sources
Click on each tab below to find out their sources.
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“Recycling one tonne of aluminium saves the carbon dioxide emissions of driving nearly 27,000 miles”
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“The average global recycling rate is 19%”