makeupYour makeup case is probably not a place where you can make a big reduction in plastic waste. If you were to make a pile with all the plastic cosmetic containers that Tammy Fae Baker emptied during her life, it might be smaller than some of the piles of weekly plastic waste featured on the FakePlasticFish Show Us Your Plastic Trash challenge. I do think it is important to be mindful with all consumption, small changes can add up. Packaging isn’t the only environmental issue, the substances that we put on our faces are washed down the drain and/or tossed in the trash at the end of the day.

I am going to feel hypocritical as I write this post. I am raising two teenage daughters and the only advice that I ever give them is “You’re not going anywhere until you take some of that makeup off!”

Ok, I also advise them against using really cheap makeup that is likely to contain bad chemicals. I also make the suggestion that they go without makeup more often.

Since I can’t claim to ‘walk the walk’ with regard to environmentally conscious cosmetics and I am not that qualified to ‘talk the talk’, I will simply summarize the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle options.

Reduce is EASY. Don’t wear makeup. If that’s too much to ask, just try to wear it less. If you already have a big pair of sunglasses, wear them instead of makeup for your weekend coffee run or for those mornings when you are just going to chauffeur your kids and the head home. One very extreme option is to get the tattoos that are commonly referred to as permanent makeup . I do not recommend it. I have heard a rumor that Sarah Palin has permanent makeup. If that was true, I would have to admit that it is possible to have it done convincingly and with some degree of class. Even so, the pigments might not look right when you have aged and they might look dated even sooner.

Reuse doesn’t really apply to makeup. If you think of a way that it does, please comment. You can potentially reuse the cosmetic containers for various odd crafty projects. I guess that’s better for the environment than throwing them in the garbage. If you think you might want to make your own cosmetics, you can save old containers to refill. You can make green choices for ingredients when you make your own makeup.

Recycling plastic and glass cosmetics containers was a problem, and a few businesses have offered a solution. Origins is one such company. They accept bottles, jars and tubes from all cosmetic brands as long as they are empty. Polypropylene (#5) plastics are common in cosmetic packaging and many municipal recycling programs don’t accept them. If you don’t live near an Origins shop, check with other chain stores about recycling programs.

Photo Credit: QueerCatKitten