Good news! Tom’s of Maine has now added a 24-hour, long-lasting deodorant in recycled/recyclable packaging to their line. They have sold all-natural deodorant free of aluminum, parabens and PG for decades, but now Tom’s commitment to sustainability extends even to the packaging.

To begin with, the plastic is made of 40-70% recycled materials from industrial waste sources. And the whole container is made from one type of plastic, polypropylene, so that the shell, cap, and screw can be recycled together. Most other deodorant containers make the shell cap and screw of different plastics, making recycling the products very difficult. As it is made of fully recyclable number 5 plastic, it is a little more difficult to recycle in some areas.

Gimme 5 Drop Off Bins

However, the Gimme 5 program allows you to drop the container at your local Whole Foods or to mail it in for recycling. So the packaging goes easily from recycled to fully recyclable.

The deodorant itself, like all Tom’s of Maine deodorants, is 100% natural, vegetable-based, never tested on animals, and proven to stop the growth of odor-causing bacteria. However, this last fact has been a bit dispute. As the deodorant does not contain the aluminum used by other deodorants to inhibit sweating, it makes no claims to being an anti-perspirant, but more than one person has complained that it isn’t much of a deodorant either. However, for around $3.99, it is definitely worth a try, especially when you know it won’t cost the environment much either.

Those of you aware of the toxic chemicals and additives in most personal care products were probably already aware of Tom’s of Maine. They have been making all natural personal care products for almost 40 years and have demonstrated a commitment to social responsibility and environmental sustainability all along the way. Visit their site to see the full line of products and the full lists of ingredients, which specify both the purpose and source of those ingredients.

This post was first published on The Green Bean Blog. To continue reading, please visit Tom’s of Maine Long-Lasting Deodorant: All Natural and Recyclable is a post from:

Whether a part of your morning routine, or an afternoon snack, many of us enjoy a yogurt from time to time. But when you’re finished what do you do with the empty plastic container? I always waiver between the commingling recycling bin or the trash. I never truly knew whether my community would and could recycle #5 plastic (polypropylene), which is what those yogurt containers and other plastics like containers for hummus or cottage cheese are made of. We’ve known for awhile that plastic bottles for drinks are recyclable, but usually curb-side recycling will not take #5 plastics. So what to do with them?

Preserve, a company that designs and manufactures 100% recycled goods has partnered with Organic Valley and Stonyfield to start a program called “Gimme 5“. You can drop off your #5 containers at many Whole Foods locations – look for bins usually near the entrance or exit – or if you don’t have access to Whole Foods, simply ship the plastics to Preserve. Preserve then recycles these plastics into household goods from toothbrushes to razors to food storage containers. Many of these products come in bright colors, and are sleek and as user-friendly as anything else on the market (if not better!).

If the idea of bringing your plastic containers back to a Whole Foods seems like more effort than you’re willing to make, consider the environmental savings that result from recycling polypropylene instead of manufacturing it. Preserve plastics require at least 75% less oil, 54% less water, 48% less coal and 46% less electricity than virgin polypropylene. These figures were derived using average data for the U.S. using the Life Cycle Assessment, which compares the environmental impact of the entire process from beginning to end. As we use up the global supply of finite natural resources, we need to find ways to wean ourselves off of coal and oil. Preserve is making this shift, and enabling us to divert more and more waste out of our landfills and back into our homes as new products.

This post was first published on The Green Bean Blog. To continue reading, please visit Recycle #5 with Gimme 5 is a post from: