A partnership between Garnier, DoSomething.org, and TerraCycle has resulted in a personal care product recycling program aimed at making a positive impact on the planet. Through both a national campaign and college competition, the next generation is encouraged to recycle empty beauty products. The goal is to collect 10 million empty containers by the end of 2017.
According to the DoSomething.org, about half of Americans don’t regularly recycle these products, creating a large mass of waste in landfills. The Rinse, Recycle, Repeat campaign asks participants to create custom recycling bins for their bathrooms to aid everyone in the household to recycle empty containers of shampoo, body wash, conditioner, bubble bath, etc.
Garnier and TerraCycle originally partnered together in 2011, and since that date approximately 9,604,885 personal care product containers have been recycled. This year, individuals could sign up and share a picture of their bin online to be entered to win a $5,000 scholarship. Additionally, 50 schools competed to win a green community garden furnished by Garnier and TerraCycle as well as a $2,000 scholarship.
2017 Winners
This year’s winners were a group of college students from Union College in Lincoln, NE. The green garden prize will be donated to the existing Community Crops’ 46th garden. It will be revamped with park benches, picnic tables, waste bins, and more.
“We wanted to make a positive change in our community and the Rinse, Recycle, Repeat competition was a great platform to get people involved and passionate about recycling,” said Victoria Nichols, team captain of the Union College volunteers, in a press release. “The Garnier green garden is a symbol that we were able to do our part by keeping 7,657 empties out of landfills, and informing others about the benefits of conserving natural resources and reducing waste.”
Additionally, the individual scholarship winner was a submission by Sepidah. You can visit DoSomething.org to see her photo and caption. Congratulations to all winners!