Nicola Quinn Burt's Bees Recycling Program Interview

How to Spice Up Your Recycling Routine and Other Top Tips

With over 21.7 million tons of general waste each year ending up in landfill, Australia, like the rest of the world, has a packaging problem. 1 This National Recycling Week, from the 11th November to the 17th November, natural beauty brand Burt's Bees is excited to announce they have joined forces with recycling pioneers, TerraCycle, to make all their products and packaging recyclable in Australia.

The Burt's Bees Recycle On UsTM program in partnership with TerraCycle®, the world's leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams, allows Australian consumers to collect and ship their Burt's Bees packaging to TerraCycle free of charge, while also earning donations for the school or charity of their choice. This initiative reflects the growing trend and demand for conscious consumerism. At the helm of this movement is Clean Up Australia which is passionate about leading the empowerment of communities to clean up, fix up and conserve our environment.

"Australia produces 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year,2 and only 12% of this is recycled with the rest ending up in our parks, roadsides, bush, waterways, oceans or in landfill as rubbish" said Terrie-Ann Johnson, Managing Director and CEO of Clean Up Australia.

"It's clear that Australians are becoming more involved and conscious about their consumables and where they end up, and it's great to see everyday Australians actually driving this demand for change."

"Over the last 30 years, 17.7 million Australians have donated 35 million hours, making Clean Up Australia Day the nation's largest community-based mobilisation event. We applaud big brands initiating impactful changes and it's wonderful to see businesses, government and organisations starting to step up and take a stand towards environmental sustainability. However, we still have a long way to go."

Dedicated to leading the industry in this regard, Burt's BeesÒ has been committed to protecting the beauty, wisdom and power of nature for over thirty years. The Recycle On UsTM program has already seen over 37,229 Burt's Bees products diverted from landfill in the United States since March 2018 and the launch in Australia is the next step in furthering the brand's sustainability efforts.

"Sustainability is one of Burt's Bees' core values," explains Joy Delis, ANZ Marketing Director, Burt's Bees Australia and New Zealand. "We are absolutely committed to our 'True to Nature' philosophy, from the natural ingredients in our product formulations, to the use of mindful materials in our packaging and our zero-waste-tolandfill."

"This partnership enables Burt's Bees to minimize the material used to create the packaging as well as significantly reduce the amount of packaging which would usually have entered the waste stream, through the efficient TerraCycle recycle process," Delis says.

"Australians who enjoy Burt's Bees products can now help the planet by recycling their typically non-recyclable packages and we're very excited to be taking this next step to help preserve our planet for generations to come."

The Burt's Bees Recycle On UsTM program accepts all Burt's Bees branded personal care, lip care, and beauty care packaging. To recycle in this program, Australians simply visit www.terracycle.com.au to sign up and join the program, then start collecting Burt's Bees items in any available cardboard box. Once full, they can download a free shipping label from their TerraCycle account, stick it onto the box of waste and drop it off at their nearest post office, free of charge. TerraCycle will then sort, shred, and melt the items down into plastic pellets to be used as an alternative to virgin plastic in the manufacture of new products such as garden beds, park benches and even playgrounds.

Additionally, for every shipment over one kilogram sent to TerraCycle, collectors will earn $1 towards the Australian school or charity of their choice. Globally, more than $45 million has been raised for schools and charities worldwide through TerraCycle's free recycling programs.

"We're thrilled to provide a way for fans of Burt's Bees to give their favourite products a second life," says Jean Bailliard, General Manager of TerraCycle Australia. "Many components of personal and beauty care packaging are not typically accepted in kerbside recycling, but with the support of sustainably minded brands such as Burt's Bees, we are able to provide a solution for these items that would otherwise be destined for landfill."

Interview with Nicola Quinn, Burt's Bees Brand Manager

Question: How is Burt's Bees participating in National Recycling Week?

Nicola Quinn: Burt's Bees is participating in National Recycling week by joining forces with recycling pioneers, TerraCycle, in order to make all our products and packaging recyclable in Australia. The Burt's Bees 'Recycle On Us' program accepts all Burt's Bees branded personal care, lip care, and beauty care packaging.

Question: You've been committed to a zero waste to landfill policy since 2010; how has this been going?

Nicola Quinn: We are absolutely committed to our 'True to Nature' philosophy, from the natural ingredients in our product formulations, to the use of poster consumer recycled materials in our packaging and our zero-waste-to-landfill. We are continuing to work aggressively to identify new outlets for recycling our waste streams and will continue to send zero waste to landfill.


Question: Can you tell us about your recent partnership with globally renowned recycling program TerraCycle?

Nicola Quinn: The Burt's Bees 'Recycle On Us' program in partnership with TerraCycle®, allows Australian consumers to collect and ship their Burt's Bees packaging to TerraCycle free of charge, while also earning donations for the school or charity of their choice. Additionally, for every shipment over one kilogram sent to TerraCycle, collectors will earn $1 towards the Australian school or charity of their choice. This partnership enables Burt's Bees to minimize the material used to create the packaging as well as significantly reduce the amount of packaging which would usually have entered the waste stream, through the efficient TerraCycle recycle process.


Question: How difficult will it be for Burt's Bees to ensure all their products are recyclable by the end of this year?

Nicola Quinn: We have been making meaningful progress on our packaging goals working hard towards making all our products recyclable over the years. Burt's Bees packaging contains 40% post-consumer recycled materials and is designed as consciously as possible to achieve zero waste in the manufacturing process. Additionally, Burt's Bees have trimmed excess packaging from our products, some as much as 50%, to ensure consumers are also being as environmentally friendly as possible.


Question: How can Burt's Bees customers recycle your products?

Nicola Quinn: Burt's Bee customers can create a free TerraCycle account online and join the Burt's Bees Recycle on Us Recycling Program. Then, you can collect used Burt's Bees products in any box. When you are ready to send in a shipment, download a shipping label from your TerraCycle account by clicking "Request a postage label" and follow the prompts. Print out your label and tape it securely onto your box. Ship the box to TerraCycle by dropping it off at your nearby post office.

Question: How can Australians get involved with National Recycling Week?

Nicola Quinn: Besides getting involved with the Burt's Bees Recycle On Us program, there are a few other ways Australians can get involved this National Recycling Week.

Look at the label: Before purchasing product, make sure that what you're buying is recycling or reusable, to ensure that the plastic is being disposed of properly and doesn't end up as waste in a landfill.
Clean your containers: Many of us don't think about how contamination interrupts the recycling process"as products must be empty with minimal contamination in order to be recycled. By using the entire contents of a product including scraping down containers for food and squeezing the last bit of lotion in your face cream"not only will you save money, but you will be a better recycler for it.
Try to reduce and reuse: For instance, swap your disposable coffee cups for reusable ones, or use fabric bags instead of purchasing plastic bags when grocery shopping"every little bit counts!


Question: What's message do you hope to spread for National Recycling Week?

Nicola Quinn: Sustainability is one of Burt's Bees' core values"and this National Recycling Week, we hope to spread this idea through our recent partnership with TerraCycle, by providing a new, fun and feel good way to give back through recycling.

In doing so, we give our products a second life by converting the waste into a variety of raw materials, while also getting our consumers involved in giving back to the communities nearest and dearest to them. We also hope people can truly understand the importance of this virtuous cycle and advocate sustainability in their lives.


Interview by Brooke Hunter