All of us use personal care products. Concerns about living green lead to several questions:
The contents of the product: Is the product safe for human health?
The packaging: Is it minimal? Can it be recycled or reused?
Contents of the product
A good place to start is the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which conducts research and educates the public about many environmental issues, including the safety of consumer products for human and environmental health. Their Skin Deep guide has rated over 70,000 personal care products for toxicity and safety.
The packaging
Recycling personal care products is not common knowledge to most Americans. The majority of America knows to recycle kitchen products like milk jugs or plastic water bottles; however, knowledge of recycling bathroom products is not as widely taught. According to Johnson and Johnson, only 20% of Americans consistently recycle bathroom products. 20% didn’t even know that products were recyclable.
What is recyclable in Needham?
If you have a private hauler: Check their recycling guidelines.
If you take materials to the RTS (Needham dump): According to the RTS website, in the glass/metal/plastic bins you can drop off:
- All plastic bottles and jars (milk, water, juice, salad dressing, laundry detergent, shampoo, dish soap, etc.).
- Plastics #1 to #7.
- Leave caps on.
TIP: When the product, such as shampoo, starts getting low, add a little water and shake to mix. This helps use up all the product and also reduces need for rinsing before recycling.
Unfortunately, even if you recycle, not all of your personal care products will be accepted. Many personal care products are made of composite plastics or are too small which, makes it difficult or too expensive for most recycling facilities to recycle them. Some of these products include toothbrushes, razors, and make-up containers, and products in tubes.
Better than recycling — Avoid plastic packaging altogether
Recycling is a great way to reduce waste but moving away from plastic products and packaging and towards more sustainable alternatives is even better for helping the planet.
Thankfully, there are countless eco-friendly alternatives to common bathroom products that are an easy switch to make! Products now available include shampoo and conditioner bars, deodorant bars, products in reusable, returnable aluminum bottles, even toothpaste tablets.
Here are some general websites to check out that sell sustainable personal care products. Also, don’t forget to see what products are available at local health food and grocery stores. Whole Foods in Dedham, for example, has unpackaged hand soaps and, in the hair care section, JR Liggetts shampoo bars.
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