Dear Recycling Bins: Perfume Bottles

Dear Recycling Bins: Our Weekly Recycling Advice Column

Welcome to our weekly advice column where we look at all things recycling and give you the answers you’re desperately seeking.

Dear Recycling Bins,

I love perfume and I’m a bit of a collector of the more luxury brands, but I have a problem. When my fragrance is finished, I never know what to do with the bottles.

I heard they can’t be recycled because they’re made from different materials, so what can I do with them, other than let them clutter up my dressing table and bathroom collecting dust?

Any advice would be appreciated,

Yours Sincerely,

A lover of luxury

Dear lover of luxury,

We love a spritz of fragrance too and we understand how confusing it can be when you can recycle other things, but not the one thing you seem to have a lot of!

But don’t worry, your perfume bottles need not clutter up your bathroom shelf or dresser any longer.

The Perfume Shop just announced that it’s launching a perfume bottle recycling scheme where customers who return their empty bottles to the store can get a voucher for 10% off a new fragrance in return. They’re the latest in a long line of beauty retailers that are giving customers incentives to return empty product containers to their stores. MAC, John Lewis, and The Body Shop currently have recycling schemes in operation too.

The Perfume Shop launched its scheme to make it easier for customers to recycle, and when it comes to recycling, perfume bottles are a little tricky. They need to be properly cleaned, and they are made of metal, glass, and other elements.

As well as running the main recycling scheme, the retailer is encouraging individual brands it stocks in its stores to introduce refill schemes. Lancôme and Hermes have got on board, as has Thierry Mugler.

As well as recycling your perfume bottles, there are other options for you to think about.

You could fill an empty bottle with water to use as a cooling mist on a hot day.

Try refilling them with diluted essential oils to make a room or linen spray.

You can sell them on eBay to collectors, especially if you have vintage bottles or bottles from exclusive brands.

You could use your prettier bottles as single-stem vases.

We hope this helps!

Yours Sincerely,

Recycling Bins