Can You Recycle Shampoo Bottles? (And Ways to Reuse Old Bottles)

Taking care of the body is a calling to many people. And one of the parts people focuses on is the hair. The reason for this is simple; the hair is a significant part of the human body. It determines many things, from how others see you to whether they feel comfortable talking to you.

This simple fact explains why hair is a significant focus for many people. And one of the things for taking care of the hair is Shampoo. Over the years, Shampoo has been a large household item for many people. Hardly will you not find it in the home of an average citizen.

Without a doubt, this raises another question of what happens to the shampoo bottles? After people use the shampoo bottles, where do they put them? Can you even recycle them?

In this post, there are answers to some of these questions. You would find out whether you can recycle the shampoo bottles. More importantly, you will get to know many creative things you can do with old shampoo bottles.

So, fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride with us.

Are Shampoo Bottles Recyclable?

If you consider the rate people use shampoos every day, you should show concern about its aftermath. People have often wondered whether shampoo bottles lurking around in their homes are recyclable. Well, the good news is that it is.

If you think about it, shampoo bottles often come in plastic materials or packaging. And, in the recycling system, plastic materials are often suitable for recycling.

So, once you have shampoo bottles that are plastic material, you should relax. The news remains that the shampoo bottles are recyclable.

However, you still have some basic things to do to your shampoo bottles before they become recyclable. We have explained most of them in this post below. But, before we take a look at them, let us quickly consider how to sort out your shampoo bottles.

We all know that shampoo bottles would not sort themselves. This is the reason you must take some action. The process of recycling your shampoo bottles begins from the moment you buy them from the store.

After you have used the content of your shampoo bottles, don’t throw them away. It would be better if you got a plastic bag to store them. This would allow you to have a common place you are keeping your recyclables. Aside from this, it gives your home some sense of tidiness.

Now, it is inefficient to give each shampoo bottle to the recycling company. So, after you have exhausted each bottle’s content, you have to ensure that you put it in the plastic bag. Depending on how much you create shampoo bottle waste, you can set aside the bottles for six months.

After this, you can then tie up your plastic bag full of shampoo bottles and put them in your recycling bin. To be sure, you can place a call to your local recycling center to confirm if they have picked up services. If they do, then you have fewer things to worry about. You only have to put the plastic bags at a place where the recycling center will easily see it. Ensure that nothing is obstructing the recycling bin and that it is visible to everyone.

On the other hand, your recycling center does not have a pickup service; there is nothing much to worry about. All you have to do is put the shampoo bottles in your car trunk and drop it over at the collection center. This looks easy and straight forward to do. So, whichever works for you, the goal is to ensure that your shampoo bottles don’t end up where they are not supposed to. Their proper destination is recycling centers.

There are some more things about shampoo bottles than just collecting them and recycling them. So many questions lurk in people’s minds on how to ensure that their bottles become recyclable properly. Some of the questions are whether they should remove the shampoo bottle caps before recycling. Others have asked whether they need to wash or remove the labels on the shampoo bottles before recycling. Below, we have answered these questions. So, read on to get insight into the full details.

Should I Remove Caps of Shampoo Bottles Before Recycling?

Whether or not you have to remove the shampoo bottle containers before recycling has been an issue. While some have said yes, you should, others, more recently, have said you may not. For consumers like you caught in the middle, this can’t be more confusing. But that does not have to be the case. Here we clear the air on what you should do.

The caps are thicker and stronger than the shampoo bottles. The implication of this is that recycling centers can’t put both objects in the machine simultaneously. So, it seems that the more comfortable option is to advise people to remove the shampoo bottle caps.

On the other hand, some recycling centers do not bother about the shampoo bottle caps. This is because they have an advanced recycling machine that will do the job for them.

This is what makes the difference. Hence, to avoid getting caught in the middle again, you have to confirm how your local recycling center operates. If they have the necessary machine to process the plastic bottles and their caps, you can send your shampoo bottles with the caps. If your local recycling center does not have one, you have to remove the caps before sending the shampoo bottles.

Is Removing Labels On Bottles Before Recycling Important?

This is another question that has bothered people’s minds. Many are not sure of what to do with their shampoo bottles’ labels before sending for recycling.

Let’s be apparent unless you have the time; removing bottle labels sounds like extra work. But, in some circumstances, you would have to do it.

With a shampoo bottle, you don’t need to remove the labels. This is because, before recycling, recyclers subject the bottles to some level of heat.

This heat burns out all labels that might be on the plastic bottles. So, leaving your labels on your shampoo bottles does not hinder the recycling of the bottles.

However, we have situations where you might have to remove it. One of such is if the label constitutes a recyclable material. In this instance, if the label is an extensive paper material, you may remove it and put it separately. This can be useful for recycling later.

Another instance is where your local recycling office specifies that you should remove the label before sending the bottles. Here, you have no other option than to comply with the recyclers’ instructions.

Do I Need To Rinse Shampoo Bottles Before Recycling?

Rinsing a shampoo bottle before recycling is a good idea. And, many recyclers will advise you to do that. The thing, however, is that rinsing it shouldn’t be all way too thorough. A slight rinse would do the job. You don’t have to focus all your energy on ensuring that the bottle is sparkling clean.

Besides, rinsing it would help your recycling bin look clean. You don’t want a situation where the Shampoo is dripping and attracting flies or emitting odor. So, for your environment’s sake, endeavor to rinse the shampoo bottles.

6 Amazing Ways to Reuse Old Shampoo Bottles

This segment is the fun part of learning about the creative things you can do with your old shampoo bottles. Your empty shampoo bottles don’t have to constitute waste in your home; you can do many things with them.

Aside from this, you would be saving some money if you put your old shampoo bottles to creative use at home.

Here are some of the very creative things you can do with your used shampoo bottles

1. Make a Mail Box

If you think you only have to spend to buy mailboxes, you are mistaken. You can get it for free. All you have to do is put your shampoo bottles to use. How do you do this? The first step is to rinse your shampoo bottles thoroughly and let the water drain completely. After this, you cut the upper side open but leaving a part to serve as the handle.

Next, you can get a nice wrapping sheet and wrap the shampoo bottle. You would also need a rubber string to fasten to the handle of the new mailbox. With this, you would have designed a new mailbox for yourself.

Nonetheless, you can only deploy this new mailbox under a cover. For instance, you can put on your doorknob. This would allow people who have mailed to deliver to you to drop them in the mailbox in your absence.

2. Make a Writing Container For Your Kids

For your kids, you can make a writing container for them. This would allow them to keep their writing materials in a single place. With this, you would reduce the possibility of a loss of writing materials.

If you want to make this, all you have to do is follow the cleaning process explained above. After you have rinsed and dried, you can cut open the upper part. You can then design it the way you want it to look.

After all, this, place the new writing material where it would be easier for your kids to reach. To ensure that your effort does not go to waste, you should explain to your kids the benefits of keeping their writing materials.

3. Make a Piggy Safe Box

With your old shampoo bottles, you can make a new piggy safe box. This way, you can teach yourself and your kids how to save. In doing this, all you have to do is to cut out a small rectangular opening on top of the bottle. The opening should be wide enough for folded cash to pass through. At the same time, it should not be too wide for cash to fall out.

4. Make a Toy For Your Kids

You can repurpose your shampoo bottles to make toys for your kids. After thoroughly washing, you can give it to your kids to have fun with it. You can be more creative and design it with some decorative paper and glue.

5. Make a Secret Safe

You would agree that no one searches your home and begins to look into the shampoo bottle. This makes it a safe place to keep things. You can put a letter in it and place the bottle in the bathroom; no one would suspect.

6. Make a Bathroom Storage Bowl

Your shampoo does not have to leave your bathroom before you use it. You can cut open the top and hang it on the wall. This way, you can put your toothbrush and other bathroom materials.

Conclusion

Shampoo bottles are common material in various homes. They don’t have to constitute waste for our environment. You have seen how to recycle them or put them to creative uses. The ball is now in your court.

References:

https://www.headandshoulders.com/en-us/about/sustainability/how-to-recycle-shampoo-bottles
https://earth911.com/recycling-guide/how-to-recycle-bathroom-products/
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About Rinkesh

A true environmentalist by heart ❤️. Founded Conserve Energy Future with the sole motto of providing helpful information related to our rapidly depleting environment. Unless you strongly believe in Elon Musk‘s idea of making Mars as another habitable planet, do remember that there really is no 'Planet B' in this whole universe.