As of: April 3, 2024, 6:58 a.m
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Not all nail polish belongs in the household waste. Incorrect disposal can be expensive and pollute the environment.
Munich – There is a wealth of different nail polishes in every drugstore. For many people, colorful nails are simply part of it. However, not every color is worn equally and not every bottle is completely used up. Surely everyone has thrown away a dried-up bottle at some point. But can you just throw it in the trash? How should you dispose of the cosmetic product correctly?
Dispose of nail polish correctly: Beware of fines if it is disposed of incorrectly
The smell alone is an indication that not all components of the colorful liquid in the bottles may be healthy and environmentally friendly. There are now alternatives, but conventional nail polish can certainly contain problematic ingredients. Just last year, Stiftung Warentest found elevated levels of nitrosamines, which are considered carcinogenic, in seven of 20 red nail polishes. The European Cosmetics Regulation only tolerates traces of this that are technically unavoidable during the production of the products, it said.
How do you dispose of nail polish correctly? (Symbolic image) © Oleksandr Latkun/imageBROKER/IMAGO
But nail polish also contains color pigments, solvents, plasticizers and nitrocellulose. These substances should not reach the groundwater because some of them are harmful to the environment and toxic. Solvents in particular have a bad reputation: they evaporate at room temperature and are responsible for the specific smell. Ökotest found that the solvents contained are also irritating to the skin.
Under no circumstances should this liquid content be disposed of in household waste or even down the drain or in the toilet. This can even be expensive and result in fines of at least 35 euros. The reason: aquatic organisms can be damaged and sewage treatment plants have difficulty filtering out the substances. That's why nail polishes with liquid content are classified as hazardous waste, which also includes other old varnishes and paints. The product must therefore be handed in at a recycling center with a pollutant collection point.
Throw away nail polish - With one exception, it can be thrown into the trash
If you want to separate correctly, you should also remove the last remnants of the varnish from the bottle. To do this, the residue can be diluted with turpentine or nail polish remover and shaken to loosen it. They can then be placed in a collection container at the recycling center. The plastic cap can go in the yellow bin, the glass in the waste glass container.
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However, there is an exception when the product can be disposed of in the household waste: If the nail polish has already completely dried out, the solvents and plasticizers have already escaped. Since they only contain the color pigments, the corresponding bottles can be disposed of in the trash.
Before you throw away the nail polish, you could also use it for other useful purposes. In fact, liquid clear coat can also be used to repair floors. And ballpoint pen stains can also be treated with it. The ADAC recommends against using it as a home remedy for scratches in the car.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at her own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.