Beauty Recycling Programs in Canada

I think most Canadians would agree that recycling is important. We have enough information at our fingertips to understand that recycling tremendously benefits the environment. Recycling programs have been established to help people with the process at home and at work. There are curbside recycling programs and drop-off centres in almost every city. There are even companies offering incentives to consumers to bring back their empty containers and they will do the recycling for them. Below is a list of beauty recycling programs in Canada. These are brands that have stepped up and established programs that will not only help the environment but also help your wallet with a little incentive to bring in your empties.

MAC Cosmetics

The “Back 2 MAC” Program has been around for a while. It is one of the original beauty recycling programs that I know. The concept is simple. Bring in six empty MAC makeup containers to a MAC counter and you can choose a free Lipstick, Lipglass or small Eye Shadow. I have returned dozens of empties and I always use the opportunity to experiment and try out a new shade of lipstick. Find out more about the program here.

*MAC has decided to terminate this program effective March 31, 2023

L’Occitane

L’Occitane has partnered with TerraCycle, a company that has become a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials, to introduce a recycling program of their own. All you have to do is bring in your used beauty products and packaging from any brand to a L’Occitane store and drop them off to be recycled. On top of having this great program, they are offering 10% off one product to those who participate. The discount is only valid on the drop-off day. Learn more about the program here.

Lush

Most people can probably recognize the Lush little black pots that package a lot of their products. What people may not know is that these are made from 100% recycled plastic that are collected from curbside blue bins across Oregon, California, Washington and British Columbia. The plastic is collected, sorted, granulated, washed, and then sorted into many different kinds of plastics. One of these plastics is used to make their black pots and lids. In order to keep the recycling loop going, Lush has designed an instore recycling program of their own. You could either get $1 off your purchase for every pot returned or get a free fresh face mask for returning five black pots! Learn more about the program here.

Kiehl’s

Kiehl’s is another company focused on sustainability with their “Recycle and be Rewarded” Program. To participate, all you need to do is bring your empty bottles back to a Kiehl’s store where you will earn 10 rewards points per empty. If you bring back five empty bottles you will get $16 off your purchase or a free travel size product over and above the 50 points you will earn. You can return five empty bottles up to 4 times per year which equates to 200 points. You do need to be a Kiehl’s Rewards member to participate. This is definitely worth it as you get $1 off any purchase for every 20 points. Your points can quickly add up just from recycling your empties. Learn more about the program here.

The Bay

The beauty recycling programs at Hudson’s Bay are not talked about enough in my opinion. They have a number of programs that are not only great for the environment but that offer the consumer a discount just for participating. Here are some of the programs they offer and you can learn more here.

• You can get $5 back in Rewards points for every 5 containers you recycle at Hudson’s Bay
• You can bring your Clarins empties in store and receive 10% off your next refill/purchase
• If you visit select Lancôme counters that have a refill station, you can fill any sized Idôle fragrance and save up to 26%

Click here to learn why else you should shop beauty at The Bay.

Final Thoughts

While the focus of this article is on beauty companies that have developed incentivized recycling programs, I would be remiss to not mention other beauty brands that also have these programs. It is too important of a topic and saving our planet should really be reward enough. Aveda, Deciem, and The Body Shop also have fantastic recycling programs. They make it easy for consumers to return their empty products. Let’s hope that more beauty companies jump on board but in the meantime recycling starts at home. If you have any questions about what can be recycled, click here for who to contact by Province.