Boots rolls out in-store recycling scheme to 700 sites

Boots is rolling out its in-store recycling scheme to a further 650 stores across the country – following an “overwhelmingly positive” trial in 50 stores.

The 'Recycle at Boots' scheme, which rewards customers with 250 Boots Advantage Card Points for every five products deposited, collected more than half a million products during its trial phase.

Using first-to-market Scan2Recycle technology, the scheme allows Boots and its customers to responsibly dispose of a large array of harder-to-recycle beauty packaging that “would usually go to landfill.”

A number of beauty packaging formats, including old mascara and lipsticks tubes, are not commonly accepted by kerbside household collections.

The top three most-recycled products in the trial scheme included toothpaste and mascara tubes, as-well-as handwash packaging.

Boots UK Director of Communications and CSR Lucy Reynolds said: “We are delighted with the reception the Recycle at Boots scheme has had - the reaction from our customers has been overwhelmingly positive.

"We’ve listened to their feedback and as a result are rolling the scheme out further, making it easier than ever for our customers to recycle their empty products that would usually go to landfill.

"From old mascaras and toothpaste tubes to finished lipsticks and empty vitamin pots, customers can feel even better about treating themselves with their Boots Advantage Card points knowing that their products can be recycled.”

After dropping off in-store, the empty products are sent to Boots’ recycling partner, MYGroup, where they are then transformed into new items such as reusable storage containers that are now being used at Boots warehouses.

The Recycle at Boots scheme launched in 2020 with a trial of 50 stores and is the first scheme on the UK high street to follow the transparency and accessibility criteria set by recycling body OPRL.