Can You Recycle EOS Lip Balm Containers?

Evolution of Smooth (EOS) is one of the most popular lip care brands. It’s particularly known for its impressive EOS lip balm. These come in brightly colored orbs and contain nourishing ingredients like jojoba oil and shea butter.

Because of this, it’s easy to get hooked on these lip balms and end up with tons of empty EOS containers at the end of the year. But are these containers recyclable?

What are EOS containers made of?

EOS containers are made of a thermoplastic polymer called acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS plastic).

Are EOS lip balm containers recyclable?

Yes, EOS lip balm containers are recyclable; all EOS packaging is recyclable. You can recycle it through a free recycling program the brand built with TerraCycle. All you have to do is follow the steps below:

1. Sign up for a TerraCycle account on their website
2. Get an empty box and use it to gather all your EOS packaging. This can be packaging for lip balms, lotions, and shaving products. Continue filling the box until it’s full
3. Sign in to your TerraCycle account and download a shipping label
4. Print your label
5. Seal your box, stick the label on it, and send it to TerraCycle

What else can I do with old EOS lip balm containers?

If you don’t recycle your EOS lip balm containers, you will have to either throw them in the trash or reuse them. Of these two choices, reusing is better. After all, throwing these containers out will just add more plastic to landfills.

Fortunately, there are several ways you can reuse EOS lip balm containers. These include:

1. Refilling them with new lip balm

If you are into DIY projects, you can make your lip balm at home and fill it in an old EOS container. To create your homemade lip balm, you will need some beeswax, petroleum jelly, honey, coconut oil, and essential oil.

After mixing up these ingredients in a glass dish, you’ll have to place it in a pan of water that you will then bring to a boil. In a few minutes, you will notice that your ingredients have melted.

At this point, all you have to do is fill the resulting liquid into your EOS container and then put it in the fridge. Just ensure that you have cleaned your container beforehand.

2. Refilling them with perfume

If you’re a DIY enthusiast who loves solid perfumes, you can use your old EOS containers to hold these. This will make it easy for you to carry your perfume wherever you go.

3. Holding snacks in them

One of the easiest ways to reuse EOS lip balm containers is to carry small snacks in them. These can include nuts, candies, and even trail mix.

4. Carrying beauty blenders in them

An EOS lip balm container can be a great place to store your beauty blender, especially if you’re always on the go.

5. Carrying flash disks

If you regularly lose your flash disks, you can simplify your life by carrying them in your old EOS lip balm containers. Just clean up your containers and pop the flash disks in there.

6. Planting succulents

Interestingly, plants can grow well in EOS containers, especially succulents. All you have to do is add soil to the containers and plant your seeds. One of the greatest things about going this route is that you can then easily move your plants from one spot to another.

You can even use some of these succulents to decorate your desk.

How do you remove lip balm from an EOS container?

To remove lip balm from an EOS container, follow the steps below:

1. Remove the cover of the container (the top part)
2. Take a knife and wedge it between the wheel (what holds the balm) inside the bottom part of the container and its outer covering. This is supposed to help you remove the wheel. So if you can’t properly wedge it in one area, remove the knife and try wedging it in other areas to move things along
3. Once the wheel is out of the container, use your knife to scrape the lip balm from it. You can wipe this removed lip balm on a piece of tissue
4. Once you’ve scraped all the top balm layer and have gotten near the inner surface of the wheel, use your knife to pierce through the balm between the wheel’s spokes and remove it.
5. After most of the balm is removed, use a tissue to wipe the wheel
6. Get a toothbrush, apply some toothpaste on it, wet it a bit, and then use it to thoroughly scrub the wheel. Pay close attention to the holes and dip the wheel in water as much as necessary
7. Scrub the top and bottom parts of the EOS containers as well; they may have some residue
8. Rinse all three parts of the container and let them dry. At this point, you can cut out the spokes from the wheel if you want
9. Reassemble your EOS container

Final thoughts

When it comes down to it, recycling and reusing are the most sustainable ways to deal with empty EOS lip balm containers. However, it’s up to you to choose which one best fits you.