A new partnership between the British Beauty Council and waste management firm MYGroup aims to capture cosmetic packaging not handled by kerbside collections, addressing a major recycling gap across the beauty sector.
Beauty businesses across the UK are being encouraged to take part in a new nationwide recycling initiative designed to tackle hard-to-recycle cosmetic packaging, following the launch of a partnership between the British Beauty Council and waste management company MYGroup.
The initiative forms part of the Great British Beauty Clean Up campaign and offers businesses a fully managed, end-to-end take-back solution for used beauty and cosmetics packaging. Participating brands and retailers will be provided with dedicated collection boxes for use in stores and other locations.
The scheme is intended to capture packaging formats that are typically excluded from household recycling systems, including small, mixed-material and hazardous items such as mascara tubes, makeup compacts, blister packs and residual cosmetic products.
Addressing gaps in kerbside recycling
According to research cited by the partners, nearly nine in ten used beauty and cosmetic products never reach a recycling facility because they are too small, complex or contaminated to be processed through existing kerbside infrastructure. The same polling suggests that around half of UK consumers do not recycle their bathroom empties as a result.
The new take-back system aims to remove these barriers by providing an alternative route for materials that would otherwise be disposed of as residual waste.
MYGroup will manage the collection, sorting and treatment of materials. Recyclable packaging will be processed into new products such as combs, mirrors and furniture, while residual cosmetic contents will be safely treated under the company’s Environment Agency permits for hazardous waste and converted into biofuel.
Industry-wide participation sought
The British Beauty Council and MYGroup said they are seeking participation from across the beauty industry, including major retailers, independent brands and smaller businesses, with a wider rollout planned for the new year.
MYGroup already works with a number of high-street and online beauty retailers, including Boots, Superdrug, Cult Beauty, LOOKFANTASTIC and Harrods. The company said it has processed more than 40,000 tonnes of beauty waste from across the UK to date.
Steve Carrie, group director at MYGroup, said the partnership is focused on addressing structural limitations in current recycling systems.
“Our work with the British Beauty Council on the Great British Beauty Clean Up focuses on removing barriers and providing businesses with a straightforward way to capture what kerbside systems simply can’t,” he said.
Behaviour change and system design
The partners argue that improving recycling outcomes in the beauty sector will require closer collaboration between brands and waste management providers, alongside clearer routes for consumers to return difficult materials.
Carrie said that convergence between product design, retail systems and waste infrastructure would be critical to improving sustainability performance.
“We believe there must be a growing convergence between beauty brands and waste management partners to build the systems and drive the behaviours that will define a more sustainable sector,” he said.
The initiative comes amid increasing scrutiny of packaging waste across consumer goods sectors, as businesses prepare for tighter regulation and growing consumer expectations around recycling and circularity.