*Thanks Bright Future for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

Did you know that Americans are more likely to walk the distance to find a restroom, to get a drink, or even to charge their phone than they are to walk the same distance to take an empty plastic bottle to a recycling bin?

At first I was surprised by this fact, but after thinking about it, it wasn’t as surprising. Many of us view finding a restroom, a drink or a charging station as a need that we have. When we have a plastic bottle, we often consider finding a recycling bin to put it into a want and not a need – especially if there is a trash can that is closer to us. When I think about how much effort it takes to walk a bit further (or even just carry the bottle back to my car with me so I can take it home to recycle) it’s sad that we are often so unwilling to put forth that tiny bit of effort. Yet some are willing to do even less. 22% of Americans admit to being unwilling to walk across their home to recycle a bath or beauty bottle.

86% of Americans say they always recycle in general. 46% of Americans report that they always recycle kitchen recyclables – but only 34% say they recycle their bath products. The most common reason stated was they weren’t certain if the bottle was recyclable. To find out if your bathroom products can be recycled visit the I Want To Be Recycled website.

Right now there is a movement taking place called #ReimagineThat that is sponsored by unilever. The goal of the #ReimagineThat  and is to get us all to reconsider the small behavior-based choices that we make each day, and the small changes to our behavior that could help the earth. The goal of the Reimagine That campaign is to leave a bright future for the next generation.

Some small acts that we can all do to leave a brighter future for our kids:

• Fill a cup of water to rinse with when brushing teeth or shaving instead of leaving water running.
• Take a shorter shower. Even shaving 2 minutes off your shower will save 1,600 gallons of water pear year!
• Shop smart by purchasing products that can be recycled. Recycling isn’t just about soda bottles and cans – Dove shampoo and conditioner bottles, St. Ivy body lotion containers and tons of others can be recycled.
• Keep a recycling can in your bathroom for used product bottles so you aren’t tempted to toss them in the trash instead.
• Keep reusable shopping bags in your car to avoid using plastic bags.
• Support brands like Q-tips that source their products and packaging from sustainable sources.

To help spread the word (and to encourage more people to kickstart sustainability in their own lives) Unilever is hosting a sweepstakes. To participate, take a photo of products from your bathroom that you are recycling and share on social media including a tag to the sponsor (@UnileverUSA) plus the hashtag #ReimagineThat and #sweeps. The sweepstakes ends June 9th and you can see the official rules here.

The grand prize is a $500 gift card. There will be daily prizes (42 total) vary slightly but possible prizes include unilever products, an ecofriendly umbrella, a loofah sponge, travel bag and more.

Do you recycle your bathroom products? What else do you recycle that others might forge about?

Emily

Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.

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