Gillette has partnered with TerraCycle to announce that all brands of disposable razors, replaceable-blade cartridge units and razor plastic packaging are recyclable—a move the partners are touting as a first for the United States.
Consumers may recycle razors in three ways:
Gilette Razor Recycling Program—Participants sign up on the program page and, when ready to ship their waste, download a self-funded TerraCycle tracking label. They then package the razors in a secure, puncture proof package and send them to TerraCycle for recycling.
Gillette Razor Local Recycling Solutions—Businesses, gyms, colleges, cities and community organizations, are invited to sign up to become public-drop off points; after acceptance to the program, they will be sent razor recycling bins developed by TerraCycle and Gillette. Once full, the the bings can be sealed and returned to TerraCycle via UPS, and a new one will be sent back. The address listed on the account will be publicly available on a map of local recycling solutions on the Gillette Razor Recycling Program website.
For each shipment weighing at least fifteen pounds, collectors earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to charities of their choice. The collected packaging will be recycled into new consumer products such as park benches, bike racks and recycling bins.
Gillette On Demand Razor Recycling Program—Subscribers to the Gillette On Demand service can sign up on the program page, download a self-funded TerraCycle tracking label, repackage the used razors in the On Demand delivery box and send it to TerraCycle for recycling.
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“Through this innovative, first of its kind program, disposable razors, replaceable-blade cartridge units and their associated packaging are now nationally recyclable through the Gillette Recycling Program,” said TerraCycle CEO and founder Tom Szaky. “We are proud to partner with this forward-thinking company to offer consumers a way to divert razor waste from landfills.”
“We are very excited about our partnership with TerraCycle to offer recycling for Gillette, Venus or any razor brand across the U.S.,” added Gillette CEO Gary Coombe. “This is an important first step towards sustainable solutions for shaving products and the start of an exciting journey with Gillette and TerraCycle. We are thrilled to bring this option to our consumers in the U.S. and are already working on plans to rollout to more countries very soon.”
