SUSTAINABLY YOU

April is Earth Month, so we’re getting in the habit to reduce, reuse, and recycle year-round with the help of some of your favorite local shops – plus, there’s often a reward in there for your good green deed!

Marine Layer
4803 Bethesda Ave, Bethesda, MD

You’ve definitely shopped Marine Layer’s Re-Spun t-shirts, hoodies, sweats, and more – you know, those super soft and colorful ones? News flash: they’re all made with your old tees! Marine Layer collects t-shirts donated in the store (there’s a cute mailbox you can drop them directly into), sorts them by color, breaks them down to the fiber level, adds recycled plastic and TENCEL Lyocell to the yarn for durability, then re-weaves it all into fabric to make new(ish) clothing! Best of all, you’ll get a $5 credit for each donated shirt, up to $25, to spend on future purchases!

Follain
4810 Bethesda Ave, Bethesda, MD

If you’re anything like us, you go through your favorite beauty and skincare products fast. And while habit may have you tossing those empties into the trash can, toss them into a shopping tote, because they’re recyclable, too! Clean out your empty product containers and bring them to Follain for special recycling. Then re-fill that tote with replacements in the store – you’ll score 10% off your purchase on that same day. 

Puree Juice Bar
4903 Elm St, Bethesda, MD 20814

Puree Juice Bar might just be the modern-day milkman. With both home deliveries and in-store options of their fresh-pressed organic fruit and veggie elixirs, we’ve been known to collect their juice glasses, especially after a cleanse. But don’t toss these glass jars in your regular old recycling bin. Bring them back to the store for 25 cents off per bottle returned to save on future purchases!

The North Face
4848 Bethesda Ave, Bethesda, MD

It’s only natural that The North Face puts all its recycled clothing towards nature conservation, right? The store’s Clothes The Loop Program encourages you to drop off any unwanted clothing and footwear (any condition, any brand) and they’ll handle the recycling. In return, you’ll get a $10 reward coupon toward your next purchase of $100 or more.

Apple
4860 Bethesda Ave, Bethesda, MD

The “drawer” a.k.a. that graveyard of old Apple devices that no longer work, got replaced, or are just no longer relevant (RIP iPod Touch!) has a purpose, after all. Take your old Apple devices to the store, including old batteries, chargers, laptops, products, and even packaging, and Apple will recycle these electronics through the Trade In program. Because your old cell phone really doesn’t deserve to end up in a landfill.

REI
910 Rose Ave, North Bethesda, MD

Outdoor enthusiasts can rejoice knowing REI has everything they need for adventure AND helps them recycle everything they don’t need post-adventure. You can join the waitlist for the used gear Buy-Back program, which helps less items end up in landfill, plus, you’ll get a gift card for donating any used gear – that means everything from wetsuits to snow shoes—once inspected and accepted. And what about those other hard-to-recycle items, like snack wrappers and old sports equipment? Bring them to REI’s in-store Terracycle boxes, and they’ll handle the recycling for you.

H&M
11850 Grand Park Ave, North Bethesda, MD

The fashion industry is one of the most wasteful in the world, oftentimes with harmful answers to the question of what to do with all those excess textiles, like burning over-produced product or ending up in landfills. Luckily H&M is making it easy for you to recycle any old clothes right in the store. Drop off any unwanted textiles (from clothes to bedding) to H&M and they’ll handle the recycling, plus hand over a 15% off discount card for your next in-store purchase.

Olive & Loom
11815 Grand Park Ave, North Bethesda, MD

We all have that one candle – the one that has long since burned through its wick, but came in such an amazing vessel that we can’t bear to part with it. Problem solved. In honor of Earth Month this April, Olive & Loom is offering candle refilling services ($6 for small up to $24 for extra-large containers). Simply bring in your empty, clean candle vessel and select one of 10 scents to refill it with. Your new-ish candle will be ready in under 2 days and will help reduce waste.

Ulta
1631 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD
1101 S Joyce St Ste B01, Arlington, VA

Beauty and skincare shopping destination, ULTA, has partnered with MAC Cosmetics to help prevent waste created by your makeup routine. And if you’re a MAC devotee, you’re in luck! Bring six empty and clean MAC product containers into ULTA, and you’ll score a free MAC original bullet lipstick. Your products will be upcycled to give new life to new containers. Now that’s a beautiful thing!

Harris Teeter
900 Army Navy Dr, Arlington, VA
4250 Campbell Ave Village of, Arlington, VA 

We all know the drill – bring your reusable bags into the grocery store to eliminate the use of plastics. But, undeniably, we’ve all forgotten at some point or another. And did you know? Plastic bags require special recycling and can’t just get tossed into your recycling bin with the empty milk container. Thankfully, Harris Teeter’s in-store recycling program will take your clean, dry plastic and paper shopping bags and recycle them on your behalf.

DSW
1301 S Joyce St, Arlington, VA

Show your shoes a second life through DSW’s in-store shoe collection bins. The perfect place to unload your closet of any outgrown, unreturnable, wrong-size, or just-didn’t-wear shoes, DSW collects new and gently work pairs to benefit Soles4Souls, which helps to simultaneously keep shoes out of landfills and creates sustainable job opportunities for kids and families in communities around the world. Since 2006, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 35 million pairs of new and gently-worn shoes in 127 countries. No shoes to share but still want to make a difference? You can donate your DSW VIP points towards the cause.