Beauty news: thanks to MECCA New Zealand, you can now recycle your empty fragrance bottles

In a huge move towards helping mop up the waste generated by the beauty industry, MECCA has launched the first in-store perfume glass recycling program in New Zealand – and I am SO here for it.
Since 2019, MECCA customers (aren’t we all, really?) were able to recycle any brand of empty cosmetic, haircare and skincare packaging through MECCA’s Beauty Product Free Recycling Program, and now they can also recycle any brand of empty glass perfume and fragrance bottles. So, rather than sending empty glass bottles to landfill, fragrance lovers can drop off their empties in the TerraCycle® collection bins in MECCA stores nationwide.
Since the launch of the recycling program in October 2019, MECCA customers across Australia and New Zealand have dropped off over a million hard-to-recycle empty beauty containers for recycling and successfully diverted them from landfill. This expansion is an important step to increase access to recycling for often incredibly hard-to-recycle beauty waste. Unlike whole glass bottles, fragrance bottles are not accepted in kerbside recycling in New Zealand due to their complex composition. While whole glass bottles and jars are made from a single type of glass and can be placed in the kerb-side recycling bin, fragrance bottles are made of different types of glass and feature spray pumps, metal fixtures, as well as other decorative features which have to be removed manually and recycled separately.
The inimitable Nicky Shore, MECCA New Zealand’s Retail Manager says “We’re always working to reduce our impact on the environment and we know our customers are too. Over the past four years, our customers have really taken to TerraCycle, often coming in with bags full of their favourite beauty empties to recycle, so we’re sure they’re going to love that they can now add fragrance to the mix.
“When it comes to reducing waste, we know our work is far from done. So, as we continue to build on our partnership with TerraCycle, we’re also working closely with our brands and partners to look at how we can design products and packaging based on circular economy principles, and where else we can make improvements within our stores.”
It's important to note that whilst packaging and fragrance bottles don’t need to be cleaned for drop off, they must be empty or almost empty.
Accepted items in the MECCA Beauty Product Free Recycling Program include any brand of makeup, haircare or skincare packaging such as...

○ Shampoo bottles and caps
○ Conditioner bottles and caps
○ Hair gel tubes and caps
○ Hair paste plastic jars and caps
○ Lip balm tubes
○ Soap dispensers and tubes
○ Lotion bottles, tubes, dispensers and jars
○ Shaving foam tubes (no cans)
○ Lip gloss tubes
○ Mascara tubes
○ Eyeliner pencils and cases
○ Eyeshadow tubes
○ Concealer tubes and sticks
○ And now also - Empty perfume/fragrance glass containers, including fragrance sample vials, travel-sized and mini fragrance.

For more information on the MECCA Beauty Product Free Recycling Program visit: https://www.terracycle.com/en-NZ/brigades/mecca-nz