• Boots is helping beauty lovers spring clean their bathroom cabinets through its Recycle at Boots scheme 

• Users can get £5 worth of Boots Advantage Card points for every five health and beauty empties deposited* 

• Boots beauty advisors and customer assistants share their hacks on how to use up those almost empties, from a bobby pin tip through to getting the last bit from your foundation 

New research from Boots shows that most Brits (80%) hold on to empty or ‘almost empty’ beauty or toiletry products in their bathrooms.  

Beauty fans who regularly wear makeup have the biggest numbers of empty or almost empty products in their bathrooms – almost half (48%) have at least three, one in four (25%) have five, and one in 10 (10%) have upwards of seven. One in five (20%) will also hold onto these products for months at a time. 

In response, Boots is helping its customers give their bathroom cabinet a clean-up this March and is offering rewards through its Recycle at Boots scheme. Through the scheme, customers can unlock 500 Boots Advantage Card points (worth £5) for every five eligible empty health and beauty product deposited when they spend £10 in-store.  

Recycle at Boots, which is available at 800 Boots stores nationwide, accepts hundreds of empty products customers might not even realise can be recycled – including mascara wands, wipe packaging, travel minis, serum tubes, toothbrushes, and more. 

Candice Smith, Head of ESG at Boots, said: “Many of us are guilty of holding on to products in the bathroom unnecessarily – either it’s the last bit of product that you can’t bear to throw out, you have an empty bottle you keep forgetting to put into the kitchen recycling bin, or you are holding on to items you don’t think you can recycle. This Spring we want to help by encouraging everyone to finish every drop of those forgotten products and recycle the empties at your local Boots. You can clear more space in your bathroom and get rewarded in the process – a spring clean win!” 

Research from Boots also shows that almost half of Brits (48%) who don’t yet recycle aren't sure what can be recycled and where. And two in five (40%) say clearer information would encourage them to recycle their health and beauty empties.  

To support them, Boots has created an infographic to highlight what items can be recycled kerbside and what items to deposit at Boots stores.  

Boots team members have also shared their top tips for how to creatively use up those ‘almost empties’ so you can deposit them via Recycle at Boots and maximise your potential rewards. 

Renata Baranowska, Global Inventory Manager, No7 Beauty Company 

“To get all the product out of your tubes – like toothpaste and hand cream etc, use a hair bobby pin to push product through, and make sure you’re using every last drop. I also like to decant remaining product from an almost used-up lipstick into re-usable travel pots – anything small with a lid works! You can then easily apply it using your finger or a makeup brush.” 

Leanna Elisha, Boots Beauty Specialist 

“Hold a pamper night with your friends. You can have fun finishing up your beauty ‘forgottens’– like that facemask you’ve been meaning to do. I also like to have a ‘mix and match’ evening with my friends, where each of us can gift and swap any products that we don’t intend to carry on using.” 

Mandy Higginbottom, Customer Assistant, Boots Plas Coch 

“There are lots of multi-uses for cosmetics you might not know about. For example, you could get creative with your old eyeshadow pallets. By mixing the eyeshadows with water, you can create a pigmented watercolour for a fun craft evening. I also like to use up any leftover cleansing balm to clean my make up brushes.” 

Candice Smith, Head of ESG at Boots 

“In your Big Beauty Clean Up, don’t forget that any unopened health and beauty items can also be donated to The Hygiene Bank, to help those experiencing hygiene poverty, at over 600 drop off points in Boots stores.” 

This month, Boots is supporting the Great British Beauty Clean Up, an industry-wide campaign led by the British Beauty Council to increase the number of empty beauty products that are recycled.  

Boots customers can find their nearest Recycle at Boots drop off point using the Boots Store Locator. For a how-to-guide on Recycle at Boots, visit boots.com.