Perfume designers have taken the industry to a new level. Aside from the array of wonderful scents they produce, they package these scents in beautiful bottles of all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, a perfume bottle may even induce you to buy a new fragrance you’ve never tried before.
Smelling amazing is one of the major trends today, and rightly so. There’s this confidence you get when someone compliments the way your smell, and at times, this can even make your day.
If you favor smelling good, you’ll have a couple of perfume bottles to dispose of at one point or the other. That’s the essence of this blog post. So please, read on if you want to know if perfume bottles are recyclable and other interesting alternative means of disposal. Enjoy!
Are Perfume Bottles Recyclable?
Taking smelling good a step further, you may enjoy mixing fragrances to produce a fantastic scent or even to prevent anyone from pinpointing the particular perfume you’re wearing, and this may leave you with several empty perfume bottles ultimately. Alternatively, you may also burn through perfume bottles pretty fast, leaving you with a collection of empty perfume bottles.
Being environmentally conscious entails actively looking for ways to dispose of your waste correctly. Your perfume bottles fall into this category, and you may be curious about if you can recycle them. Well, it can!
You can and should recycle your perfume bottles, and here’s how and why. The majority of perfume bottles come in glass jars of different sizes, shapes and colors. As we mentioned earlier, this is a very successful market strategy perfume manufacturers use. But, on the other hand, it’s also a very environmentally sensitive production technique, as opposed to using plastic bottles.
Most recycling centers accept glass perfume bottles, but we recommend inquiring first before taking yours there just to be safe. Well, if they do, then you’ve hit the jackpot! You can simply follow the steps we’ll provide subsequently to prepare your perfume bottles for recycling at your local recycling center.
First, you’ll have to rinse out the leftovers from the bottles properly. Next, you can take the bottle apart by separating the glass jar from the straw, cover and plastic or steel seal. Then, separate your perfume bottles based on their color, and gather them all in place.
Here’s a quick cheat sheet. You can visit your perfume manufacturer’s website to find out if they accept their empty perfume bottles for recycling, and if they do, there may even be some incentives for you. Well, if they don’t, you can simply tote them all to your recycling center.
Now, you’ll have to recycle the perfume bottles separately from the other materials. In fact, you may be entirely unable to recycle the other materials because they’re pretty small and can damage the recycling machine. Instead, you can find other uses for them or simply throw them in the trash can.
If you don’t recycle your perfume bottles properly, you may be putting the environment in danger, and we’ll delve into that shortly.
Can You Refill Perfume Bottles?
This is a sustainable way to protect the environment and enjoy that mesmerizing perfume bottle you’ve acquired for a longer time. Usually, when your latest supply of perfume finishes, the next step will be to recycle the bottle or send it back to the manufacturer. But in recent times, perfume manufacturers now give you the option of refilling your perfume bottle.
However, not all perfume brands offer you this sustainable option. As such, if you’d like a refillable perfume bottle, it’s best to choose a brand that provides this service.
Now, here’s how to go about it. When you buy perfume, check that the ones you’re choosing come with their own refills. These refills are typically smaller than the main bottles and save you a substantial amount of money. The refilling method is also quite simple, but it varies from one manufacturer to another.
Are Perfume Bottles Worth Anything?
If you have a couple of empty perfume bottles from renowned brands, you can sell them to collectors. You can find these collectors on the internet or simply list them up for sale on different websites that connect buyers and sellers.
Now, if you have a couple of antique or vintage perfume bottles, you can make a small fortune off them. For instance, you can sell some for as low as $5 or as high as $200.
Perfume bottle collectors value the craftsmanship and unique designs that go into these bottles and will pay you a fortune for yours.
If you’d rather not list your vintage perfume bottles on eBay, you can take them to an antique or vintage shop instead. They’ll certainly buy them off your hands for good money.
Are Perfume Bottles Harmful to The Environment?
Most perfume bottles are made from glass, and we’ve provided a short explanation of the kind of effect these bottles have on the environment. While many people consider plastic to be more threatening to the environment than glass, recent studies have shown that reverse may be the case.
Glass is made from sand, and though it’s a natural resource, it isn’t strictly renewable. In fact, a lot of sand goes into producing glass. But, unfortunately, we can’t use just about any sand; it has to be a specific type. So now, imagine the constraint this burden places on that type of sand, and just imagine how much of it will be consumed yearly.
Aside from depleting our sand supply, we’re also wreaking havoc on the food chain. Microorganisms live on sand, and reducing our sand supply takes their homes away, thereby decreasing their quantity and potency. While this may not be stark obvious yet, we may have a problem on our hands in centuries to come.
Another problem with depleting sand supply is that it can cause erosions and flood damages. Sand is one of the natural factors that prevent erosion and flooding, and when we massively reduce its supply, we’re exposing ourselves to recurring floods and erosions.
Now, let’s explore the production process of glass and its adverse effects on the environment. While glass is made from natural resources, it goes through lengthy and rigorous manufacturing processes before it becomes the see-through and mesmerizing product we use today.
These processes require a large consumption of fuel, a non-renewable resource. They can also lead to the emission of dangerous gases into the atmosphere, thereby causing air pollution. Additionally, the chemicals used in the process could also be disposed of wrongly, thereby polluting the land and water bodies.
On the other hand, glass bottles have a redeeming feature – they’re sustainable. You can recycle glass bottles as many times as possible, meaning they can be used repeatedly, thereby reducing the need to produce newer supplies.
What Can You Do With Empty Perfume Bottles?
While perfume brands now strive to make refill options available, not everyone has caught up to that trend just yet. If yours is one of them, there are several other ways to put your perfume bottles to good use before finally recycling them.
We’re pretty confident you’re going to enjoy these alternative disposal methods. Please, read on!
1. Makeshift Vases
If you have a sizable perfume bottle, you can take it apart and turn it into a makeshift vase for your flowers. However, you’ll have to prepare the bottle first, and this goes beyond merely taking it apart. You’ll also have to run it through cold water thoroughly to ensure no trace of the perfume is left in the bottle.
Then, you can fill it with enough water and place your flowers in it. If you have a couple of mesmerizing perfume bottles, you can put them all together on a table or by your window and strategically arrange different flowers in them.
2. Oil Burners
Perfume bottles also make excellent oil burners. The best part about this hack is that you can get every material you use for it at home. First, prepare an empty perfume bottle. As always, be sure to run it through cold water to ensure every last scent is gone from it.
Then, you can get some leftover cooking oil and a wick. Place the wick into the perfume bottle, and pour a reasonable amount of oil into it. Just like that, you have a beautiful oil burner that can create the same cozy atmosphere a candle would provide you.
Oil burners are also great for camping trips. They’re portable, less likely to get toppled over and cause wildlife, and also substantially difficult to put out by the breeze.
3. Candle Stands
Candles are common household items. We all have preferences too, and you can go for scented candles or the conventional ones. If you choose the traditional candles, you’ll certainly need a candle stand for them.
Well, instead of spending some money on purchasing a candle holder, why not turn your old perfume bottles into one? They’ll be excellent for catching the melting wax while also presenting an appealing view.
You’ll simply need a perfume bottle that’s large enough to hold your candles, then melt some wax at the bottom to hold the candle in place.
4. Mini Planters
Gardeners are very familiar with creeping plants. You can place them anywhere in your house; they present an aesthetically appealing view. The best part is that they have such thin roots that they can fit into an item as sizable as a perfume bottle. Simply fill it with some soil and plant your seeds in it. Then, ensure you place the bottle where there’s enough sunlight and watch wonders happen.
Aside from creeping plants, you can also plant your favorite herbs in these small bottles. Simply place enough water in them and transplant the herbs into the bottle. Once again, ensure you put them where sufficient sunlight will hit the plants.
5. Jewelry Holder
Your old perfume bottle will also serve as an excellent jewelry holder. It serves two purposes; it beautifies your makeup table and also holds your jewelry.
Once you remove the straw and steel seal, you’ll find it easier to put small jewelry like earrings and chains into the perfume bottle. You can then cover it.
Alternatively, you can also place small items like pins and beads in the old perfume bottle.
Conclusion
Throwing your recyclable items in the waste bin is now stale! Instead, why not opt for one of the environmentally sensitive methods of waste disposal? Recycling is an excellent option, and there are enough recycling centers to cater to our recyclable waste.
Meanwhile, it’s also best to milk every single use we can from these materials before we finally recycle them. This article has supplied enough information on how to dispose of your perfume bottles by recycling them and upcycling them.
References:
https://www.thebeautystore.com/11-brilliant-ways-to-reuse-empty-perfume-bottles/?v=bf7410a9ee72
https://www.fragrancex.com/fragrance-information/recycling-cosmetics-and-perfume-bottles.html
