Lipstick, lip balm or lip gloss

Also called: lipstick, lippy, lip gloss, lipgloss, lip balm, chapstick

General waste

National rules. Choose your council to see its answer.

Your council's answer

The answer can differ by council. Choose your council to see its rules for this item.

How to prepare it

  1. Not recyclable at home: it is a small mixed-material case with product still inside
  2. Put it in general waste
  3. Use it up, or pass on an unopened one to a friend

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National rules

The answer isn't the same in every UK nation. Choose your council to see the one that applies to you.

England, Scotland and Northern Ireland

General waste

This can't be recycled here. Put it in your general waste bin.

This item can't be recycled at home, so put it in your general waste bin.

Wales

General waste

This can't be recycled here. Put it in your general waste bin.

This item can't be recycled at home, so put it in your general waste; check if your council also collects nappies and incontinence pads separately.

Wales-wide guidance, checked 27 Sep 2026. View the source

How to recycle it

National schemes anyone in the UK can use.

National scheme
Not confirmed yet

We haven't confirmed this scheme's details yet.

M&S beauty empties take-back (with Handle)

Free · Return in store

Some M&S stores have a box in the beauty section for empty plastic or aluminium beauty packaging of any brand, which Handle turns into new products. M&S listed 100 stores in November 2024, so not every store has one.

  1. Use up the product and empty the container as far as you can
  2. Look for the beauty take-back box in the beauty section of an M&S store; not every store has one, so check first
  3. Drop in bottles, tubes, caps, pumps and tubs made of plastic or aluminium, from any brand

Source: corporate.marksandspencer.com, checked 17 Oct 2026.

Recycle This isn't run by or endorsed by any council or the government. Councils change their services, so check anything important with your council.