If you're anything like me, you probably have a collection of totally useless containers relegated to the depths of a random drawer; the skeletons of a former skincare routine or the ghosts of makeup's past.

When you decant that last drop of Maybelline Fit Me Foundation onto your hand, you're left with a sad-looking, usually smeared vessel with dregs of product and a peeling label - and the pervasive question of, 'is this recyclable?' It doesn't seem right to chuck it in the bin, but the symbol on the back is vague; what do the two interlocked arrows mean and is the number important?!

Unsure, the container gets placed among the other random junk you probably don't need but still keep in the event you might one day urgently need a plug adaptor for South Korea, or a manual for a bung CD player you haven't used since 2007.

However, that literal graveyard of glass bottles and empty glosses can now finally be put to rest; beauty retailer Mecca has announced it will be accepting empties of every brand at their New Zealand stores starting from Monday as part of their MeccaLife campaign. 

The beauty giant will recycle Kiwis' empty bottles, tubes, pots, pans and palettes to ensure packaging otherwise destined for landfill can get a new lease on life. Everything is sent to TerraCycle, where their team of environmental angels sort and process the waste into raw materials that can be reused and repurposed. Even the bins used to collect the products in-store are made from 100 percent post-consumer waste, including some of the 150,000 empty containers that have already been recycled through the programme.

Mecca's partnership with TerraCycle - a waste management and recycling business that collects non-recyclable waste and turns it into raw and reusable materials - began back in Australia in 2019. The partnership is now being rolled out across every Mecca in both Australia and New Zealand.

Starting in August, empties of any brand can be taken to your local Mecca for recycling; either hand them to a staff member or chuck them in the labelled TerraCycle bin near the register. Empties can include shampoo, conditioner and lotion bottles and their caps; soap dispensers; lip product, concealer and mascara tubes; and various pencils and palettes. Basically, if it's a beauty product and it's empty, bring it in; emphasis on the 'empty'. Mecca can't accept the containers if they still contain leftover product. 

Throughout the month of August, the MeccaLife campaign will also be celebrating sustainable beauty by highlighting the importance of refillable products, eco-friendly packaging solutions and makeup that has been made mindfully. 

Since 2019, Mecca has collected almost 12,000 kilograms of beauty-related waste - more than 150,000 empty containers that would have otherwise hit landfill.

In all Mecca stores across Australia and New Zealand from August 2022.

Head to your local Mecca store and look for the TerraCycle bin near the registers, or hand your empties to a staff member.

Makeup, haircare or skincare packaging (from any brand), such as:

Note: the above must be empty or almost empty. TerraCycle will not accept any returns that still have product in them.

Everything collected is sent to TerraCycle to be sorted and processed into raw materials that can be reused instead of being sent to landfill.