Usually incorrect.
Should you recycle empty lotion bottles?
They are recyclable, but as regular readers now know, they must be empty, clean and dry.
Lotion bottles and tubes are going to be much harder to clean out than a ketchup bottle. You have to decide if the water use is worth it to recycle these.
A reader has suggested slicing open the bottle with a butcher knife and scraping out the lotion that would have been wasted with a spatula. Then it is easier to clean the pieces and there's a lot less product to rinse away. As long as the pieces are still larger than a tennis ball, that would work and save a bit of your hard-earned money as well.
While we're on the subject of cosmetics, you may wonder if an empty hairspray can is recyclable. According to a representative of Tucson Environmental Services, it can.
Of course, you can't clean out an aerosol can, so don't recycle one that held something toxic like bug spray. In this case, when in doubt, throw it out.
Otherwise, if the can is completely empty, recycle it.
If you live outside of the Tucson city limits, the rules are different depending on where you live. Waste Management customers can call 520-744-2600 to find out the rules for their area. It's an automated line, but you can get a person after a few menus.
