Recycling in an Imperfect World

I handed over my worn plastic MAC bag containing six empty bottles and tubes.  The woman behind the counter replaced the bag and the empties with a sleek mod paper bag in which was nestled my purchases and a free stick of Past Play.

"It doesn't make sense for us to talk about the value of sustainability and recycling, then give our customers plastic bags," she told me.  "These new bags are environmentally friendly!"  We discussed MAC's recycling program, Back-2-MAC, which encourages customers to bring in empty makeup containers and receive a free lipstick in return (freestanding stores also allow either an eye shadow or a lip gloss).  The recyclables are used to produce cool things like playground equipment.

Feeling slightly smug about my contributions to Earth, I thanked the MAC woman and grabbed my bag of goodies.  As I passed the Clinique counter and moved into fragrances, the handle on my new recyclable bag ripped.