Surf Balm started on a Cornish beach. As a student in Falmouth I loved the coastline, but walking the high tide line meant stepping over bottle tops, nurdles and fragments of plastic that had washed in from all over the Atlantic. Lip balm tubes were among them. That's why, from day one, every Surf Balm has come in a tin.
The problem with plastic lip balm tubes
A standard lip balm tube is small, but it's made from mixed plastics and has a twist mechanism that makes it very hard to recycle. Most end up in general waste – or, worse, in the environment.
Plastic doesn't biodegrade – it breaks down
Plastic isn't eaten by microbes the way natural materials are. Instead, sunlight, waves and sand slowly break it into smaller and smaller pieces. Estimates for how long that takes vary hugely by type of plastic and conditions, but it's measured in decades to hundreds of years. Along the way it becomes microplastics – particles smaller than 5mm that are now found in seawater, sand and marine wildlife around the UK coast.
On a beach, that process is easy to see: the bright, brittle fragments in the strandline are what's left of bottles, bags and packaging that once looked solid.
Why aluminium is better
- It's widely recyclable. Aluminium can be recycled again and again without losing quality, and UK household recycling collections commonly accept it.
- It lasts. A tin doesn't crack or snap in a wetsuit pocket or a hot car.
- It's reusable. Plenty of people keep empty tins for earrings, wax or fishing hooks.
Small swaps add up
One lip balm won't save the ocean. But most of us get through several lip balms a year, and every plastic tube avoided is one less piece that could end up on a beach. Choosing products in recyclable packaging is one of the easiest swaps you can make.
How to recycle your Surf Balm tin
- Use up every last bit (warm the tin in your hand to soften the balm).
- Wipe out any residue with a paper towel.
- Pop it in your metal recycling – or keep it and reuse it.
Protect your lips and the ocean at the same time. Shop Cornish Surf Balm or give a plastic-free present from our Christmas Gifts collection.