Pollution: The contamination of the oceans and air at our convenience. It is a toxin that is not only harmful to our environment, but also to us. We dump eight million metric tons of plastic into the ocean every year, totaling in over five trillion pieces of plastic.1 That is 5 trillion pieces of plastic that will evidently pollute our homes, our friends, our family, our children. It must be stopped, but where is the majority of plastic coming from?

Of all the plastic produced, forty percent is made for packaging.2 Packing is used in product transportation, in the extension of shelf life and in cosmetics. Only thirty-two percent of America’s total waste is recycled.3

Bottom line: we do not do enough.

So, what can we do?

How, you might ask, do we dispose of plastic safely?

The answer is simple: taking action. We must all take action to help stop us from obliterating ourselves through plastic pollution. Having every single person recycle every day would be a massive step in the right direction. However, that is not very realistic. Therefore, we should focus on one step at a time.

One main culprit of plastic packaging is the cosmetic industry. The cosmetic industry produces one hundred and twenty billion units of non-recyclable packaging annually.4 Although more cosmetic companies have begun to use minimal packaging to be more eco-friendly, it is not common enough to make a difference. To make makeup more eco-friendly, unused cosmetic products that are thrown out by cosmetic companies should be donated to women’s shelters and centers alike, recycled into new plastic products and recycled correctly. So, where do we start?

Although there are many benefits to being able to return swatched products, products that are returned, swatched or are on sale, end up in the dumpster at the end of the day.5 It’s such a waste for these products to be tossed out even after being barely used. As the consumers, we must make the conscious decision to realize that buying what we don’t need harms the environment and ourselves in the long run. Having a return policy that allows consumers to return swatched cosmetics, promotes more plastic pollution. Companies should be more aware of their actions and should either have a stricter return policy or simply not allow for cosmetic returns. This should cause consumers to be more wise with their purchases, thus reducing the amount of plastic waste.

Secondly, a program for donating unused products should be implemented. There are already donation centers such as Beauty Bus, Give & Makeup, and Share Your Beauty that accept unused cosmetic products and distribute them to ill patients and people alike. Often times when sale products are not bought after a certain amount of time, they get thrown out even if they are unused. It is not only a waste of money and makeup products, but also a waste of plastic. Plastic should not be used if it it isn’t necessary, however because plastic is a major factor in the hygienics of cosmetics, it’s sadly safe to say that it will be around for a while longer until a more eco-friendly solution is found. A donation program is a solution that should be considered.

According to general assistant reporter at NBC news Kim Baldonado, a non-profit organization Lipstick Angels gives women makeovers, which helps cancer patients feel happy, supported and empowered to keep fighting.6 Now you might ask: how do cancer patients have anything to do with pollution? Well, if unused makeup is donated to places such as women shelters, hospitals and centers alike, then it may give the residents a sense of hope and confidence that their lives will be better. In addition to this, it could also aid in reducing plastic pollution as the makeup is being put to good use. Just think. Something as simple as a makeover can brighten someone’s life. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Another way for the cosmetic industry to be sustainable is to have a recycling redemption center for makeup. There is a plastic bottle recycling plant CarbonLite, which takes plastic bottles from redemption centers and converts them into new reusable plastic. If there were more recycling plants like CarbonLite, then the amount of plastic produced could be reduced, as more of it is being recycled. In theory, plastic can be infinitely recycled. Although building recycling plants is costly, having more plastics being recycled could help reduce the amount of virgin plastics being produced and could create more jobs. Overall, it could be a good solution.

Finally, if we want to make an impact now, we have to start at the beginning. The beginning starts with what type of substances are being recycled. Most people don’t realize that specific plastics items and cardboard are non recyclable.7 Recycled plastics must all contain the same compounds, otherwise that batch of plastic becomes unrecyclable. Ninety-one percent of the world’s plastic isn’t recycled, meaning that only nine percent of it is.8 Of the nine percent of plastic that is recycled, only seventy percent is able to be salvaged, leaving thirty percent unrecyclable.9 Again, it is a waste. That thirty percent could have been recycled if everyone was more educated on the issue.

If we educate our children on how to recycle correctly, it may help future generations keep our planet clean. It could be taught through a mandatory elective class similar to health in middle school. Due to the fact that children are impressionable at a young age, teaching them about pollution and recycling may help decrease the amount of plastic in future generations. We may easily be able to incorporate the mnemonic: reduce, reuse, recycle in order to help them remember.

But, alas, in a perfect world every single unused product would be directly donated from cosmetic companies and recycled correctly. Everyone would want to take action. However, we don’t live in a perfect world. It is unrealistic to believe that every person and company is willing to comply. Nonetheless, there are simpler tasks that the everyday consumer can help with, such as recycling plastic cosmetic containers, donating mascara wands to your local pet hospital, supporting eco-friendly cosmetic companies, repurposing containers, and refilling old containers. All these smaller tasks can not only save you money, but also aid in the fight against plastic pollution. We must start now. Now is the time: when the Earth is rapidly changing for the worse. Let us all do our part to help stop the contamination of our world and reduce, reuse, recycle.

1.  (2018, April 5). Fact Sheet: Plastics in the Ocean | Earth Day Network. Retrieved April 28, 2019.

2.  (2019, January 17). A Running List of Action on Plastic Pollution. Retrieved April 28, 2019.

3.  (n.d.). Recycling Statistics - BYU-Idaho. Retrieved April 28, 2019.

4.  (2019, January 31). Is the beauty industry doing enough to tackle plastic pollution? | The .... Retrieved April 28, 2019.

5.  (2019, April 8). Beauty Product Dumpster Diving Points To Waste Problems - Refinery29. Retrieved April 28, 2019.

6.  (2017, April 30). Makeup Artists Help Cancer Patients Put on a Brave Face - NBC .... Retrieved April 28, 2019.

7.  (2018, May 29). 6 Things You're Recycling Wrong - The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2019.

8.  (2018, December 20). A whopping 91% of plastic isn't recycled. Retrieved April 28, 2019.

9.  (n.d.). CarbonLite: Inside the World's Largest Plastic Bottle Recycling ... - KCET. Retrieved April 28, 2019.