With 2023 now in full swing and, unfortunately, the cost-of-living crisis showing no signs of going anywhere, money saving tips are more valuable than ever, especially for students. From one crisis to another, we also face a global plastic crisis with the world producing 381 million tonnes of plastic waste a year, a number set to double by 2034. There is an estimated 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in our ocean (which is more than the number of fish) caused by the 12.7 million tonnes of plastic that enters the ocean every year, our household waste being a huge contributor to this pollution.
Although a lot of household waste can be easily recycled, research suggests that only 50% of bathroom products, such as toiletries and cosmetics, are recycled in the UK. The average Brit is estimated to use over 52,000 bathroom products in their life, with items such as toothpaste tubes taking up to 500 years to decompose, and the average UK woman is estimated to produce 527 cosmetic and hygiene waste products every year! This is why important schemes like Recycle at Boots have been created to tackle this waste issue of previously unrecyclable products, with their website claiming: ‘We want to play our part in looking after the planet by making it easier to recycle items that might be difficult to recycle elsewhere. And we want to reward you for playing your part and making recycling part of your regime too’.
This ‘reward’ is that when you bring in 5 items to recycle, Boots awards you with 600 Advantage Card points (which equals £6!) when you spend £10 or more. You essentially earn 60% cashback, as for every £10 spent, £6 is earned to spend on your next shop.
How Does It Work?
- Register online at: https://boots.scan2recycle.com/login
- ‘Scan’ your product (meaning take a photo of it), select the brand (e.g Revlon), select the category (e.g Foundation), select the form (e.g Bottle and Pump Dispenser) and then press submit.
- Once your product is verified (sometimes this is instant, sometimes it takes up to 24hrs) it will appear in your ‘bank’ and is ready to recycle.
- Bring your items into a Boots store, select ‘recycle now’ on your account, select the items you want to recycle and select ‘deposit’.
- Scan the QR code on the deposit box in the store with your phone before finally depositing your products.
- When you recycle 5 items at once you are awarded with a voucher for 600 points that you scan at the till when you spend £10 or more.
- Boots then takes your products, that would have otherwise gone to landfill, and sends them off to be recycled.
While it is important to note that not all stores offer this scheme, 700 stores across the UK do offer it so you are likely to find one near you. Use their store locator to find the eligible stores.
What Can Be Recycled?
Almost anything! Boots accepts items from pretty much every brand, even supermarket own brands. (Even if you have a product from one of the few brands they don’t yet accept, you can still deposit it in the same place for recycling, but it just won’t count towards your 5 products needed to get your reward as it won’t have been verified on their system.)
Items you can recycle include:
- Toothpaste tubes and electric toothbrush heads
- Lipsticks
- Mascara
- Tubes of cream
- Foundation in all its forms (e.g bottle, stick, tube etc)
- Makeup sponges
- Roll on or stick deodorants
- Bottles with pump dispensers
- Vitamin bottles
- Eyedrop bottles
- Shower puffs
- Makeup compacts and palettes
- Eyebrow or lip pencils
- Lip balms
- Cream, lotion, or face wash bottles
And many, MANY more!
Make sure the products are empty and relatively clean so just give them a quick rinse before recycling.
Items you can’t recycle include:
- Anything flammable or hazardous (like aerosols or nail varnish bottles)
- Shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel (as these bottles can be easily recycled at home)
- Anything that doesn’t appear on the drop-down list when you are uploading the product and selecting its brand, category, and form.
What Happens to the Products?
Boots sends them to the recycling company, MyGroup, where they are washed and sorted into recyclable materials for new products. Any remaining multi-material items are recycled into Stormboard which is a composite construction board material, similar to plywood that has many uses. Nothing is incinerated or goes to landfill meaning since the scheme started in September 2020 over a million items have been recycled and therefore saved from landfill!
So, although the process can be a bit of a faff, I think it is definitely worth the small amount of effort for the outcome of saving money and knowing you are doing your bit in 2023 to help a planet that definitely needs it.
For full information visit the Recycle at Boots page: