You use them to hide your dark circles, blemishes and other imperfections, but you ended up throwing away your empty concealer tube.
Or worse, you washed it out and used it as a holder for brushes and other makeup tools.
What are you supposed to do with an empty concealer tube? Do you have to throw it away? How do you recycle them?
How do you recycle concealer tubes?
There are a few ways to recycle concealer tubes, but this is one of the easiest.
Step 1: Cut the concealer
Tubes Cut the concealer tubes just right before you begin to recycle them because you’ll be able to squeeze out all the product and keep it fresh.
Step 2: Get a funnel
Get a funnel that is slightly smaller than the diameter of your concealer tube. This will make it easier to put the product into your container.
Step 3: Find the Funnel’s Opening, Cut the Tip
Find the opening of the funnel and cut a tip with scissors. This will help you control how much product comes out of the tube.
Step 4: Cut tubes into smaller pieces
Cut each tube into smaller pieces approximately 1-2 inches in length. You can use a bottle cutter for this purpose or just use scissors as well. Both ways work perfectly fine and will help you accomplish your goal in cutting your concealer tube into small pieces.
Step 5: Cut off extra caps (Optional)
You may cut off extra caps from your concealer tubes if you choose to do so, but this step is optional. Depending on how clean you want your final product to be, you can keep any caps that are still on the tubes after they have been cut into smaller pieces of acrylic plastic.
Are concealer tubes recyclable?
Concealer tubes are not recyclable, but you can still recycle the packaging they come in. The tubes themselves are plastic and will end up in a landfill if you throw them away.
However, the outer packaging that comes with the concealer is easily recycled. Simply place the tube and its box into your curbside recycling bin along with all of your other recyclables.
How do you dispose of concealer?
Disposing of your used concealer can be a bit of a chore, but it’s better than letting it go to waste.
The less you touch your makeup, the less bacteria get into it — and the better for your skin. If you want to dispose of your old concealer, here are the steps you should take:
1. Wipe the product off a makeup brush or applicator and then throw that in the trash. By doing this, you’re removing the bacteria from the applicator before throwing it out.
2. Put on disposable gloves before throwing away your makeup products.
3. Dispose of all products in a sealable plastic bag and put them straight into the trash (don’t leave them on the counter). This ensures that moisture doesn’t get back into them and reactivate any bacteria left inside them.
4. Throw away any cotton swabs if they’re made with wood (to avoid splinters) or plastic that isn’t labeled “sterilized for medical use.”
5. Clean your work surface so you don’t contaminate anything else with germs from your old products.
6. Wash your hands thoroughly afterward to prevent spreading any germs from step 1 to other areas.
Final Thoughts
Depending on the concealer, most tubes can be tossed in the recycling bin.
Always check to see if the packaging instructs you to do otherwise.
