Sitting in my chair, getting ready like any other day, I realized my mascara was running out. So, like always, I went on the Sephora app and purchased a new one. A few days later, a massive package arrived at my door. For a few seconds, I was hesitant about whether it was even my package. Why was it so big? Did they send me multiple products by mistake? 

I opened the package to find tissue paper, bubble wrap and various package stuffers. Deep down, at the bottom of the box, my mascara lay there. For a mascara just a few inches long, why was there the need to use such excessive packaging?

Packaging from products makes up a large portion of solid waste in our world today. In 2018 alone, 82.2 million tons were thrown away. Whether it’s food, cosmetics or tech packaging, over-packaged goods are an epidemic. You’d be surprised that throwing away something as simple as your old mascara tube could potentially be a part of a bigger problem.

So, how do companies stop wasting packaging materials? 

One effective way is for brands to switch to biodegradable packing peanuts. 

After you get a package, all you have to do is run the biodegradable packing peanuts under warm water, and they quickly start to dissolve. Then, save your box.

It’s not that common to ship things, but you can start. When shipping something, one of the most expensive parts can be buying the box, but if you have them saved from previous purchases, you’re spending less money. 

Whether it’s sending care packages to friends and family far away or returning a product you didn’t like, keeping shipping boxes is always helpful. 

Some companies have policies that give consumers free products or money for returning product containers. One of my favorites is Lush. Lush has a program called Bring it Back, where you can return one Lush pot after use for $1 off your next purchase or return five for a free face mask. Either way, you’re being sustainable and getting something in return. 

So where do the pots go after you give them back?

Lush sends them to their recycling partners to be shredded, washed and repainted black. Then it’s molded into new Lush pots to package products in again. 

One of my favorite ways to recycle old plastic is through recycling centers. My mom would always tell my brother and me to collect our plastic bottles, making a game of it. Then, we would fill trash bags with the bottles and return them to the recycling center for cash in return.

There is no reason to waste packaging just because you don’t need it anymore. It’s not just our job to be more sustainable, but companies and brands also need to be more sustainable with those products being packaged in to ship out. 

Many cosmetic companies send Public Relations packages to influencers and celebrities. PR packages are personalized bundles of new products that are sent out to people with platforms to advertise on their social media. Companies like Tarte Cosmetics send influencers a new product in every shade they offer. This is not sustainable at all. Not only are you wasting product by giving influencers more than a dozen shades they won’t use, but it calls for more packaging, which is just a waste. 

Although the waste of packaging may not seem like a big deal, the effect that reusing and recycling has is crucial to our environment.