It’s not just kitchen waste that needs to be recycled. It’s sometimes a bit more difficult with beauty products in terms of identifying exactly which bottles and tubes can be recycled, but it’s something we need to take seriously because so much waste from beauty products ends up in landfill, or even worse, in the ocean.

Yesterday I heard about someone diving to the deepest part of the ocean, only to find sweet wrappers and a plastic bag down there. We have to do better.

Some shops are going down the route of naked products – with no packaging, but this can be quite messy, and it’s not suitable for all product types. The Body Shop has a different strategy. If you have a Love Your Body® card, and it’s really easy to sign up if you don’t, you can earn £5 on your card for every 5 eligible products that you return.

Once the empty product containers have been collected, they are either recycled, or repurposed and made into new products, such as park benches children’s play equipment.

In order to receive the £5 Reward, you have to return 5 eligible containers at the same time. They must be clean, so wash them out first. A shop assistant does it with you, so you can find out exactly what can go in the recycling container, and the shop assistant will update your card with the reward points. The reward could take up to 48 hours to appear on your account, but after that, your points will be available to spend.

You can also return recyclable packaging from other brands, but this will not count towards your 5 products that qualify for a reward.

Some types of packaging are exempt, such as cardboard boxes, although these should go in your home recycling. Single wrappers from things such as soaps or bath bubbles are not part of the scheme. Also, you can’t recycle perfume bottles or anything that contains alcohol.

Bottles, tubs, pots, and tubes should be fine. There is no comprehensive list on the Return, Recycle, Repeat page, but this is where you can find further information. Also, this information is correct in May 2019, but if you’re visiting my site after this time, it’s best to check the terms and conditions directly on the Body Shop site.

Most stores are taking part in the scheme, but there are a few exclusions, so check the list on the above link to make sure that your local store is taking part.

Doing the right thing for the planet should be enough of a reward, but I think it’s a great idea that the Body Shop is offering this scheme to encourage people to recycle. There are plenty of little treats that you can get for £5, or you could save up points on your card and put them towards something else (points are valid for three months).

What do you think –have you heard of this service? Will you be using it? Let me know in the comments.

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