Flip Your Lid

Hopefully you're recycling every plastic bottle that comes into your home and office, but do you really toss each and every container's lid into that clear garbage bag as well? Even if you do, it turns out that not every single plastic top is recyclable, so many of them may end up in the regular garbage at some point anyway. Sure, most lids are pretty small, but when you think about the number of bottle tops we all go through, pondering where they end up can get just plain depressing.

On the bright side, the British bath and skincare company Molton Brown just launched an extensive line of products in special, newly developed packaging that's 100 percent recyclable — including the lid. Essentially, there are several capsule collections targeted for specific needs, like calming you down to sleep and moisturizing hyper-parched skin. The line includes the type of products you'd expect — like bath salts and shower gels — along with a few you might not, like a box filled with lavender oil-infused crystals to leave on your nightstand at bedtime.

Some of the line's best products are part of the "purify" collection, which was created to energize and moisturize tired, dehydrated skin. (Does anyone not have that problem, particularly at the tail end of this freezing winter?) The fruity scents — which comes from French grape leaves, roses and ginger oil — are intoxicating enough to make you pick them up; their effectiveness, which also comes from natural ingredients, will make you want to buy them again and again.

As many brands boast about how green they are, it should be mentioned that Molton Brown is in the middle of a five-year plan to vastly reduce its waste and carbon emissions. The company doesn't make a big issue of its environmental efforts but has simply integrated them into its day-to-day business. And many of its core products include ingredients (like yuan zhi root, which is grown in China, and wild indigo from the Himalayas) sourced from regions that rely on the company's orders to help create jobs in rural communities.

The new line of Molton Brown products, loosely grouped under the umbrella of "body therapies," are slightly more expensive than the brand's typical offerings, but they're still less expensive than many luxury body care offerings on the market. (They are also potent enough that a little goes a long way.) Plus, if you like to workout at a health club, the packaging is portable and light enough to throw into your gym bag. Just make sure to toss the empty bottle in the recycling bin … lid and all.

For more information about Molton Brown's new body therapy line, go to www.moltonbrown.com.