Selfridges rolls out nationwide beauty and cosmetics recycling scheme

MYGroup has partnered with Selfridges to introduce a nationwide beauty and cosmetics recycling scheme, allowing customers to return a wide range of used beauty packaging, including fragrance bottles that are typically difficult to recycle.

The initiative, known as Reselfridges Recycle, is now available across all Selfridges Beauty Halls in Birmingham, Manchester and London’s Oxford Street. As part of Selfridges’ membership programme, customers receive a Selfridges Unlocked Key for every five items returned through the scheme.

The programme has been designed to address recycling challenges associated with fragrance packaging, which is often excluded from kerbside collections and other take-back schemes due to mixed materials and residual contents. Under the scheme, customers can return used perfume and aftershave bottles in full, including those that still contain fragrance.

Collection points are located within Beauty Halls across the retailer’s four UK stores. Items from any brand can be deposited, with customers required to speak to a team member to receive their Unlocked Key.

MYGroup manages the end-to-end collection and processing of returned items. The company holds permits to handle hazardous and complex waste streams and processes materials at its specialist facility in Hull, East Yorkshire. Packaging components and remaining cosmetic contents are separated and recovered, with materials either returned to supply chains or remanufactured into new products through MYGroup’s ReFactory™ operation, diverting waste from landfill and incineration.

MYGroup has been working with retailers for many years to make beauty take-back a practical, scalable cornerstone of the sector’s commitment to recycling. Through our schemes, we’ve now processed more than 40,000 tonnes of returned beauty and cosmetic packaging – success and experience that has helped shape this ambitious Reselfridges collaboration.

Fragrance recycling highlights why this experience matters. These products are used at scale but are typically binned after use. Through Reselfridges, we’re applying our established take-back solution in a department store environment, where even the hardest-to-recycle items can be captured at scale in meaningful volumes and recovered safely.

Steve Carrie, Group Director, MYGroup.

The nationwide rollout follows a trial of the scheme at Selfridges Trafford Centre in 2025. During the trial period, the number of Unlocked Keys collected reportedly increased by 271 per cent between September and November.