As the UK's leader in health, beauty and cosmetics waste recycling, MYGroup has helped household-name retailers such as Boots, Harrods and Superdrug transform their sustainability promises into tangible action through take-back schemes for used products and blister packs. The ‘Recycle at Boots’ scheme, for example, has to date processed more than 7 million used items deposited by customers across 800 of the retailer’s stores, nationwide.
MYGroup also recently became the first waste management and recycling company to become a patron of the British Beauty Council, the leading representative organisation for the UK beauty industry.
Local authorities are all too aware of the scale and complexity of health, beauty and cosmetics waste. Every year, UK households generate around 23kg of plastic packaging, significantly contributed to by personal care products. Used blister packs from medicines, vitamins and supplements further compound this challenge. Up to 95% of health, beauty and cosmetics packaging ends up being thrown away due to being:
- too small (e.g. travel minis, samples or mascaras)
- made of composite or mixed materials (e.g. make-up palettes, compacts or lipsticks, as well as blister packs)
- made from non-recyclable or hazardous materials (e.g. toothpaste tubes, lotion pumps, fragrances or nail varnishes).
As our retail take-back schemes continue to go from strength-to-strength, MYGroup is receiving enquiries from local authorities keen to adopt similar, innovative recycling solutions in their communities, including Household Waste Recycling Centres.
The collection and sorting of waste health, beauty and cosmetics items is managed fully in-house by MYGroup, from the manufacture and provision of bespoke physical recycling containers delivered to locations, to courier services for the transport of deposited waste items back to our specialist facility in Hull, East Yorkshire.
Advanced technologies and processes at the Hull site allow the complete and safe extraction, recovery and recycling of packaging material and any residual cosmetic residue, medicines or vitamins (in the case of blister packs), with zero waste to incineration or landfill.
All waste is either recycled, repurposed and reintroduced into the supply chain as raw material or transformed into wholly new products. This includes MYGroup's innovative MYboard™, used for fittings, furniture and more.
MYGroup understands that no two local authorities are the same. That’s why we offer a modular approach, working independently or in partnership with your existing waste providers. Whether you're piloting a scheme at a single HWRC or rolling out a district-wide initiative, we seek to scale our service accordingly.
With the Government placing increasing emphasis on Extended Producer Responsibility and the public demanding meaningful action, now is the time for local authorities to lead by example. By partnering with MYGroup on health, beauty and cosmetics recycling, councils can expand their capabilities, reduce environmental impact and demonstrate real progress in circular waste management.
To find out more or to explore a tailored solution for your authority, visit: https://mygroupltd.com/cosmetics-recycling/, contact sales@mygroupltd.com or call 0330 174 31 66.
