Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, written by me, on behalf of Unilever and the Bright Future campaign. All opinions are strictly my own.
If you’re like me, you probably don’t give it much thought when you toss an empty shampoo bottle. There of 6 of us in our household who require different types of shampoo’s body washes, etc. Plus, we have a dog who has his own bottle of shampoo. That’s a LOT of plastic, folks. And I never even thought about what an impact tossing them in the trash would make. Until now.
Unilever is launching “Rinse. Recycle. Reimagine.” a new program in partnership with Keep America Beautiful and the Ad Council designed to educate people about recycling in the bathroom, inspire them to reimagine what empty bathroom products could become through recycling, and ultimately make a small change that holds big potential to positively impact the environment.
What I recently learned is that with just a rinse and a recycle, empty bath and beauty bottles can take on new life and return as hairbrushes, backpacks or even backyard play set. Whoa! A play set? Backpacks? I had no idea. I just thought they’d become new shampoo bottles. Which, that alone, would be great. But to think that they are becoming entirely different items that benefit my kids as well? That’s awesome!
The new Unilever Bathroom Recycling Index found that while a majority of Americans are aware that their empty bathroom bottles are recyclable, less than half report regularly bringing them to the bin. As a result, common bathroom products like shampoo, body wash and lotion bottles could be more likely to end up in landfills than their kitchen counterparts, contributing to the nearly 29 million tons of plastics sent to landfills each year!
Back the truck up Bessie! Let’s say that again, shall we? “nearly 29 million tons of plastics sent to landfills each year!” That’s insane!
Here’s some interesting statistics for you from Unilever – they’re the maker of some of the fabulous products I often talk about here at Cinnamon Hollow including: Dove®, Suave®, St. Ives®, Caress® and more – is stepping in to inspire Americans to clean up their act in the bathroom.
- The average American has 8 products in plastics bottles in their bathroom at a given time, yet only 34% of Americans always recycle these bottles when empty. That’s nearly 600 million plastic bottles that could end up in landfills each year. Beware of the product hoarders! 1 in 5 Americans (20%) have more than 10 bathroom products in plastic bottles in their bathroom at a given time.
(Sadly, this one describes us. We’re changing that – NOW!)
- What gets Americans moving: Americans are more likely to go the distance to get a drink when thirsty, charge their phone, or answer a phone call than walk an empty plastic bottle from the bathroom to the recycle bin.
- Battle of the sexes: More men (80%) reported recycling their empty bathroom bottles than women (74%).
Now, do you wanna know which U.S. metropolitan cities are leading the way when it comes to bathroom recycling and which ones are falling short on their recycling capabilities? the ones shared in green are leading the way and the ones shaded in red need to step it up a notch… or three.
1. Philadelphia (52%)
2. New York (48% )
3. San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose (41% ) and Seattle (41% )
4. Minneapolis (40%)
5. Boston (39%)
6. Los Angeles (38%)
7. Washington, DC (37%) and Phoenix (37%)
8. Chicago (33%)
9. Houston (30%)
10. Tampa/St. Petersburg (29%)
11. Dallas/Ft. Worth (28%)
12. Detroit (26%)
13. Atlanta (23%)
Those are some eye opening statistics for me. So what can we all do to help? Well, Unilever has introduced the Unilever BrightFuture initiative. This initiative was designed to show us how to “reimagine” our products into something else and recycle them to make sure it happens.
How do you participate and spread the word about the Rinse, Recycle, Reimagine For A Bright Future initiative? It’s easy!
Spread the word by sharing a photo of your bathroom empties being recycled. Share them on Twitter and Instagram using #ReimagineThat. Add #Sweeps to your post to be entered for a chance to win recycled, reimagined prizes.
From April 29 – June 9 – enter to win daily prizes (42 in total) and a grand prize (1 for a $500 gift card). Users must include #ReimagineThat and #Sweeps and tag @UnileverUSA in order to qualify. Go to https://unileversweepsrules.com/reimagine/ to enter.
Visit BrightFuture.Unilever.us to learn how you can help bridge the gap in bathroom recycling.
If you’re not sure how this whole recycling thing works, don’t feel alone. While the majority of Americans know where they should be putting their empty bottles, 42% claim that they don’t recycle because they aren’t sure an item is eligible for recycling. That’s us. We never really knew what all we could recycle and what all we couldn’t. We had been recycling cardbard but we hadn’t ventured into recycling plastics. We are now! To find out what qualifies items for recycling in your area and to find out what your plastic bottles could become, go to iwanttoberecycled.org/bathroom.
Some of these facts and statictics, used with permission, are from the new “Unilever Bathroom Recycling Index*,” an online survey commissioned by Unilever and conducted by KRC Research.
Let’s work together, with Unilever, to Rinse, Recycle, Reimagine For A Bright Future!
Travel Lover | Pet Mama | Beauty Junkie | Low Glycemic – Healthy Fats – Low Carb – Keto Inspired Food Enthusiast | Cocktails | Printables
I am a stay-at-home- mom, living in KY with my husband and children. I’m a travel and lifestyle blogger encouraging folks to live their life one adventure at a time while also focusing on beauty, essential oils and health. From time to time I also like to showcase my adorable pets along with my family. Along with Cinnamon Hollow I can be found at The Martin Family Adventure … read more
