We have all had those products that we never ended up using in its entirety.
Whether it was a product that maybe you tried and ended up not liking, or maybe went through a phase of using certain products but found a better product that suited your needs better–now you are finding bottle after bottle of products in your cabinets, drawers, and all you are thinking about is how to get rid of them.
Perhaps your first instinct would be to either throw them away or simply pour them down the drain. However, there are so many better ways to dispose of gently used products! Renée Rouleau and Umbra give some great methods in how to efficiently do just that! By following their suggestions, not only will the environment thank you but also people who are in need.
While pouring products down the drain or throwing them away may be the easiest and quickest solution, it is quite problematic in the long run for the environment. Not only do products get into our rivers and oceans but also contribute to the pollution on land by going to the landfills. If your products contain a lot of chemicals, are flammable or corrosive, do NOT pour them down the drain. Why not? The sewage treatment plants and plumbing systems are not designed to handle such chemicals and products, but rather just human waste and sewage. This also counts for hair oils as well.
While you may not think oils can be a problem, they indeed are–for human waste and sewage!
While oils start off as liquid, they quickly cool down and solidify at certain temperatures. When oil is solidified, it easily plugs up and clogs plumbing. If you think that hot water may fix this issue, it does not! The hot water only assists the oily product further down the drain before it solidifies. So what can you do?
Option 1: Try using them in different ways than your originally did.
This might seem like a no-brainer but according to Umbra, trying to simply use up your products is a great way to get rid of them! Try cocktailing it or layering with another product for a different result. If the product is really not for you, then there is another option.
Option 2: Donate them.
Did you know that you can actually donate your gently used products? There are tons of women who are in need of hair products and are grateful to have someone come in and give away products that they didn’t end up using. Renée says you can donate anything that comes in either a bottle or tube. You can even donate hairbrushes and combs as long as you sterilize them first. You can also donate to the people at the household hazardous waste facilities as they will take some hair products as well.
Next time you want to throw away unfinished products, head on over to your local shelter or household hazardous waste facility and donate your products today.
