Recycling our products and giving them a second life
Our products are designed to last a long time, but they won't (all) last forever! That's why we've thought about ways to give them a second life once they've reached the end of their first one. Find out more!
You'll soon be able to print out a prepaid label that you can stick on an envelope, then you can send back – for free – any of your sustainable accessories that are broken or have reached the end of their life.
We do ask that you send a minimum amount, so that the environmental benefit of recycling outweighs the environmental impact of sending an almost-empty letter.
Which products can you send, and how many?
- 3 used toothbrush heads
- or 7 used cleansing wipes
- or 1 damaged toothbrush handle
- or 1 bioplastic Oriculi
The bioplastic Oriculi is guaranteed for life. However, if it should break, you can simply send it back to us, along with your address, and we'll send you an identical Oriculi for free, regardless of where you bought it.
The envelope must not weigh more than 20 grams.
Please make sure you only send Lamazuna products.
There's no need to put a stamp on your envelope, as postage is already paid for with the prepaid label.
The prepaid label can be used from abroad ("envoi par avion prioritaire" = airmail priority). However, if the envelope is sent from France, it won't be carried by plane.
Please also make sure that the label is not bigger than the envelope, otherwise it won't get to us! The label was designed for a standard envelope size: 110 x 155 mm.
A closer look at how to recycle our toothbrush heads and handles, as well as our washable cleansing wipes
We decided to get a TerraCycle Zero Waste Box so that our used toothbrush heads and cleansing wipes could be completely recycled.
We've already collected over 19,000 used toothbrush heads, which are being kept in our offices in the Drôme region. Soon we'll be collecting all the toothbrush heads left with our retailers, then we can fill up our TerraCycle Zero Waste Box and give them a second life!
How does TerraCycle work?
An in-house R&D (research & development) team develops recycling solutions that will go on to be applied locally. Once TerraCycle has amassed a sufficient amount of waste, it works with a local recycler to recycle it. TerraCycle works with several recyclers, depending on the type of waste stream and waste (plastic, metal, etc.). To find out more, click here.
How TerraCycle recycles our products
For our toothbrushes, the nylon bristles are separated from the plastic base. The nylon will be recycled into insulation materials for electrical applications in particular. As for the plastic, it's ground then washed. The small pieces are then agglomerated with other plastics of the same type. These mixtures will be extruded into small plastic granules and go back into the secondary raw materials market or be sold directly to manufacturers of plastic items, such as outdoor furniture (tables, benches, etc.). For example, TerraCycle works with the company uBin to make recycling bins from recycled plastic.
For more information, visit the TerraCycle website.
What should you do with our products when you can no longer use them?
Once your Lamazuna product reaches its end of life, or if it's damaged, there are different solutions available so you can either recycle it or give it a second life.
Bioplastic Oriculi: Our Oriculi comes with a lifetime guarantee. If it does happen to break, you can send it back to Lamazuna to be recycled. Once we have enough broken Oriculis, we send them back to the manufacturers so they can be transformed into granules – which can then be used to make new Oriculis! If you send an Oriculi back to us, don't forget to give us your address so we can send you a new one for free!
Menstrual cup: The cup is made from silicone – a thermosetting material that cannot be recycled – and should be thrown away with your household waste. Because the menstrual cup is placed inside the human body and comes into contact with period blood, unfortunately it cannot be given a second life.
Lamazuna safety razor: Our razor is designed to last such a long time that it can be handed down from one generation to the next! However, if your razor has any defects, you can of course send it back to us and we'll replace it with a new one.
Safety razor blades: Like many sharp objects, razor blades are considered hazardous waste. Some barbers and pharmacies have special blade disposal containers for used razor blades, but otherwise you should throw them away with your household waste, making sure they're wrapped well so no one will cut themselves. Unfortunately, there is currently no recycling system for used razor blades in France, but this is something we hope to see in the future and are following closely.
Nail file: You can keep using this nail file until nothing is left of it – and that will take a very long time!
Natural scrub stone: Just like the nail file, you can keep using this scrub stone until there's nothing left – but it will take a very long time to wear down!
Used toothbrush heads and handles: You can take your used heads or handles back to the place where you bought them, or send them to Lamazuna to be recycled.
As with our Oriculis, we also send our used toothbrush handles back to the manufacturer, who transforms them into granules that can then be used to make new ones. However, since our toothbrush handles come with a lifetime guarantee, it's unlikely you'll need to send them back anyway!
Washable cleansing wipes: Once your cleansing wipes have reached their end of life, you can take them back to where you bought them or send them to Lamazuna so they can be recycled.
Our lifetime guarantee
Made to last a lifetime!
All our bio-based products come with a lifetime guarantee. If one of your bio-based accessories breaks, you can send it back to us. We'll take care of the end of its life and send you a new one for free!
This applies to our bio-based Oriculi, Incredible Organiser and toothbrush handles.
How does it work?
- If you live in mainland France or the EU, send your broken product (at your cost) to us at: 60 Rue des Entrepreneurs, 26300 Marches, FRANCE. We will then send you a new one for free.
- If you live outside the EU or in France's overseas departments and territories, get in touch with Alizée at bonjour@lamazuna.com. She'll be able to tell you more.
Lamazuna is a brand that's committed to zero waste, so it's fundamental that we see things through to the very end!
Recycling our packaging
As you probably know, you can buy our products unwrapped or in a recyclable cardboard box.
Don't forget to recycle the box with all your other cardboard and paper. Perhaps you have a dedicated bin for cardboard and paper waste?
By recycling your cardboard box, it can be turned back into a raw material that will be used to make new boxes. So you're giving it a second life and diverting it away from landfill or incineration.
We did look into the possibility of having our packaging certified compostable with the OK Compost Home label, but the project is on standby. The biodegradability tests are costly, plus it's difficult to obtain precise data about the exact amounts of ink used, so it's a little more complicated than we hoped it would be!
Having said that, composting our packaging is not necessarily the best solution. Composting is a way to make use of waste, and is particularly useful if you have cardboard waste that cannot be recycled properly (such as cardboard that isn't perfectly clean, for example), but it's a solution that complements recycling. For most people (especially those who don't have a garden), it is much easier to recycle waste paper and cardboard than to compost it. All our boxes can be easily recycled, and are not "contaminated" by the products inside them, so they can be given a second life.
Understanding the symbols on our packaging
You'll see different symbols on our packaging, but you probably don't know what they all mean! So we thought we'd give you a few quick explanations:
Don't be confused by the "Green Dot" symbol. It doesn't mean that the packaging is recyclable! It actually means that the company pays an obligatory tax to a national packaging recovery organisation – in our case Citeo, which is in charge of sorting and recycling waste in France. More precisely, it indicates that the company selling this product has made a financial contribution to the collecting, sorting and recycling of packaging, and therefore meets the obligations set out in the French Environmental Code.
This symbol (specific to France) indicates that the packaging is recyclable and should be put in your cardboard and paper recycling bin.
The Triman logo has been used in France since 1st January 2015 to show that a product is recyclable. It must be displayed on packaging by any company putting recyclable products on the French market that are subject to extended producer responsibility and can be collected separately.
You'll find lots of information about the Triman logo on the internet, and you'll see this logo on lots of products in France!
