I've been on a cleaning kick these days, friends. I was rooting around under my sink and discovered no less than FOUR partially used 16 oz. Philosophy 3-in-1s (do they even make Lavender Pound Cake anymore?). Beyond that, there were scores of unfinished bottles of conditioner, shaving items, and various other potions, all pushed aside in favor of the next best thing.

So I made it my official "beauty resolution" for 2008 to finish up all these half-used bottles of bath and body product currently residing in my shower and in my bathroom cabinet.

As a reward, I'm allowing myself one splurge purchase (like one of these Jo Malone bath oils here) for every 10 bottles I manage to finish.

But looking at all these bottles and the sheer volume of plastic involved has got me thinking about another issue...recycling. I used to be cavalier about recycling beauty items; it's pretty easy to overlook it when it's just one bottle of shampoo here and there, but now that I'm on this mission I'm starting to feel differently. I just can't imagine all this stuff landing in the trash.

So I've been making sure to peel off the labels, rinse out the empties, and plant them firmly in the recycle bin. Fortunately NYC makes it easy to recycle, the Sanitation department comes and picks up the items a couple of times a week.

What about you? I'm curious to know...