If your New Year's resolution was improved sustainability, look no further than the innovative scan2recycle app offered to people in possession of a Boots advantage card. It is a way to recycle toiletries that would otherwise go into landfill. Some examples of these products are lip balms, toothbrushes and skincare products including samples. This is a scheme that trades recycling for points which turn into rewards to be spent in store.  

So how do people find this initiative? 

Manuela Riccardi, mum of 3 certainly has a lot of praise for the scheme. She said: “as a busy mum, I need a lot of skincare and beauty products that unfortunately had nowhere to go but the landfill once I was finished with them. This program offers me a chance to buy all the necessities without any of the guilt.” 

While this scheme may seem intricate and complicated, it is remarkably simple for the everyday person to use and navigate. Firstly, you take a picture of the product you wish to recycle and select its brand and product type from an extremely broad selection. Once you bank your image, you wait approximately 24 hours for the product to be approved in terms of its recycling potential.  

If it has been approved you go to a participating Boots store, scan the QR code of the store’s deposit box to confirm the location on the app, select the items you wish to deposit and simply put them in the box. Later you will receive an email confirming the number of points on your advantage card that you have received based on how many items you have deposited, and then you are free to spend those points in store with a minimum spend. 

Even if you did not make a New Year’s resolution to be more sustainable, sustainability is an ongoing goal, so there is no better time to take the first step than right now.