Save the Earth and Your Money: Recycle, Beautiful

Now that "green is the new black," everyone seems to be jumping on board the eco-friendly bandwagon. A lot of companies pay lip service to the eco-cause, but which beauty lines put their money where their mouth is? There are a few conscious companies who are making sure they aren't mucking up the environment while they're beautifying you.

From companies with biodegradable packaging to recycling incentives that score you new goodies, find out how to make sure your old bottles, tins, and tubes don't end up in a landfill. Here are some tips to reduce, reuse, and recycle old beauty products and maybe score a few freebies in the process, so some of that "green" can stay in your wallet.

Trade Ins

Several companies have recently offered trade in options for unwanted products. In September, Saks Fifth Avenue hosted a Frederic Fekkai event where people could trade their unwanted shampoo for new Fekkai. Sephora recently held a "Cash for Beauty Clunkers" promotion where five unwanted beauty products scored patrons a $10 discount. The five "clunkers" were recycled, of course.

Recycling Initiatives

Speaking of recycling, MAC's Back 2 MAC program rewards you for returning your empty or unwanted MAC oldies for some new MAC Goodies. Six products score you a new tube of MAC lipstick.

Origins takes their commitment to the environment seriously. They'll accept any beauty packaging- regardless of brand- and make sure it's properly recycled. To thank you for your eco-consciousness, Origins treats you to a free sample of some of their natural and fabulous skin care products.

Kiehls "Recycle and Be Rewarded" program earns you anything from a free lip balm to a full sized product when you return three or more Kiehls empties. That keeps their packaging out of the landfill and new Kiehls products in your cabinet. Shop for Kiehls at Nordstrom and score a big bag of samples with one of our Nordstrom coupons.

In addition to offering tips on reusing their packaging (most of which is recyclable or biodegradable) Tarte offers 15% off for select returns on their products. And while you're saving the environment you can save some money with this Tarte deal from Beauty.com.

Eco-Friendly Packaging

The Cargo Plant Love line has packaging made from corn. According to their website:

"Not only is this revolutionary bio-plastic is not only made from a renewable resource, it's also greenhouse-gas-neutral, which helps us fight global warming. Even the box the lipstick comes in is eco-friendly. Just moisten and plant it to grow your own wildflowers."

It's a beautiful thing...

Organic Essence products are completely sustainable and made from entirely biodegradable packaging. Plus, they smell fantastic.

Red Flower, my personal favorite line of luscious and organic body products, uses PET plastic, the most readily recyclable plastic on the market, and glass to help keep their packaging out of your garbage bin. Plus, all their boxes are printed at wind powered plants and they use 80% PCR (post consumer recycling). Bonus: you can get a free gift with your Red Flower purchase of $50 or more with this Beauty.com coupon.

Aveda, the popular natural beauty line, also uses as much PCR as possible, as well as glass in their packaging and has recently launched a campaign to help people recycle plastic bottle caps.

Reduce

And the best green packaging? None at all!

• Many LUSH products are in bar form--you can store them in a reusable tin that lasts for years. Use one of our LUSH coupons to get yours for free.


• Try samples before you buy to make sure you will use the full size product. And when you're ready to buy, save 20% when you purchase it with one of our Sephora coupons.


• Don't buy travel size products; use reusable bottles and fill with your favorite standards when you go on trips.


• Rather than buying a new palette whenever you want a change in your eye shadow, try refillable palettes like this one free from Makeup For Ever. It's cheaper and better for the environment.

Reuse

And before you send your old bottles and compacts to the curb, try and find a new use for them at home:

• When your lipstick is down to the quick, scrape out the inside of the tube and make a palette out of an empty compact.


• An old pump bottle can be refilled with hand soap to give it a second life. Try one of our drugstore.com coupons to do it on the cheap.


• Fill an empty atomizer or spray bottle with watered-down essential oils for a great room freshener and linen spray on the cheap.

For more makeup recycling ideas, check out this great article at Natural Home Magazine and this fab post on CafeMom.

What are other beautiful ways you reduce, reuse, and recycle? Leave 'em in the comments! And follow me on Twitter @SavingsMBones for the best beauty deals.