Original Sense

Between the Apple Store, Bergdorf Goodman and Central Park, there are always plenty of reasons for New Yorkers to head towards Fifth Avenue and 58th Street. As of April 2, however, there is an even better excuse: Origins' new recycling program, Return to Origins.

The idea is simple. Just take any empty cosmetics containers you have lying around to an Origins counter (there are 450 in department stores and standalone stores nationwide) and chuck them into the recycling bin there. Any brand is accepted, as are lids and caps, along with bottles, tubes and other cosmetics packaging. And if you stop by with your empties this month, they'll throw in a sample of one of their products as a special thank you.

If this doesn't sound like a big deal, keep in mind that household packaging (like makeup containers) makes up of a third of all the garbage in landfills. And in the super-competitive world of cosmetics, to accept packaging from rival companies — particularly during a recession — proves just how committed to recycling Origins is. And speaking of the recession, how great is it that they're sacrificing precious sales floor space to promote this type of initiative?

If stopping by the Origins counter gives you the urge to buy something, a great choice is A Perfect World antioxidant moisturizer with white tea. For every tub of this product sold, Origins will plant a tree. Reforestation is another earth-friendly priority for Origins, which also plants a tree every time it opens a new store and hires a new sales associate.

The April 2 launch event was held in a large transparent tent set up right on Fifth Avenue. Inside, scones and cookies from City Bakery were served, and attendees were given a jar of an Origins body cream … providing they'd dumped an empty container into one of the large recycling bins on hand. Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford stopped by as her car (a hybrid, of course) waited outside. A similar party was also held in Los Angeles, along with smaller launch events in a handful of other cities across the country.

If your weekend spring cleaning plans include going through your makeup drawer, now you can dispose of old containers in a way that's easy, good for the environment, and, indeed, Original…

For more information on Origins new recycling initiative, go to www.origins.com.