I’m trying to get back in the writing & sharing habits now that my depression is lifting (and that’s a whole mother story there). I’ve been doing ok on Instagram, where just throwing up a photo or a reel is quick. And it fits into my day & other activities well. I get blocked though, when it comes to this website. I just forget about it. Well, not quite forget… There is always the lagging guilt that I should be writing more and putting it out into the world because otherwise how will I know if anyone wants to read it?
But those issues aside, I also harbor a secret desire to make every post on here REALLY COUNT because I haven’t been posting much. But that’s ridiculous. Not every post can be a 10,000 word examination of my mental health or the latest music trends.
Here is a really good example. Yesterday, I was puttering around the internet, reading some emails, some news, following some links, when BAM! Something awesome that I want to share. But its a YouTube video, and I can’t share that on Instagram, my go-to easy platform. I can’t even share links unless its in the comments field. So what do I do?
Girl, you have a web site, a blog, a whatever you want to call it, where you can post anything. So here I am. That was a pretty big introduction to what I actually want to share, so I hope I haven’t taken the wind out of your sails with my blathering.
So there it is, the big excitement. But here’s the thing. Lipstick and mascara and tiny tubes of eye cream and serum bottles—none of these things are conventionally recyclable. I think we don’t really think about it most of the time, we just throw a whole lot of unprocessable things in the recycling, say we recycle, and give ourselves a pat on the back.
But if you only knew how little actually gets recycled, you’d be horrified. For instance, any item can have a “recycle” symbol on it—doesn’t even need to be recyclable. How is that not a crime??? Plus, you still need the containers to be empty and clean. Do you clean out your salsa jars or peanut butter jars before you recycle? If not, I have bad news for you. It probably gets tossed. Even if your local recycling center says the containers don’t need to be clean or empty, many of those that aren’t get tossed at the recycling facility itself. I try to be so good, but sometimes—I have to admit—I look at a container and just think “fuck it.” Common offenders for me hair products I didn’t like. How do I empty and wash a closed tube of leave-in conditioner? Do I take the chance of recycling? Or do I just throw it out so someone else doesn’t have to do it for me?!?
I have gotten off track, surprise! Beauty supplies are notorious for being un-recyclable. And its no surprise why… Tiny containers made of multiple materials that are hard to empty or impossible to clean. That is not a good thing for assembly-line style recycling sorting. Because what our American motto? If it’s too hard, don’t do it!
So, what is Nordstrom doing to change that? You can now bring your makeup unmentionables to the store & they’ve partnered with Terracycle to make sure these containers actually get recycled. Its the dark side of the beauty industry, at a time when other industries are trying to make inroads in green product packaging, etc.
I respect this, and I hope it takes off. It adds another step to the “recycling” process, but I hope at least people who already go to Nordstrom will partake in this program. And if it proves to be a big PR hit, maybe other companies will start doing the same. For a really big difference, I’m thinking Target, Walgreens, CVS. These companies should also be doing this. Actually, any company that sells makeup, skincare, or hair products should be a part of this too!
I’ll be holding all my relevant containers to take to Nordstrom for recycling. And maybe if we all start asking around at places we shop, they’ll start thinking about making this more widespread.