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Animals

Your Old Mascara Wands Can Help Save Animals in Need — Here’s How

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Mascara is inarguably one of the most popular beauty products around, but now it’s taking on a new role and giving wildlife a new lease on life in the process. Founded by The Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation center in Western North Carolina, Wands for Wildlife is an initiative that collects old mascara wands to help out furry friends in need. 

Last week, Beaches Go Green, a fellow environmental conservation organization out of Jacksonville, Florida, took to Facebook to spread awareness about the program in a post that soon went viral: 

“Please do NOT throw away your mascara wands. Instead, clean JUST THE WAND with Dawn liquid soap, place them in a ziploc bag and mail them to a Wildlife Refuge accepting donations,” wrote the organization. “These little wands are able to be upcycled to clean away oil, larvae, fly eggs, mites, infections, mud and other contaminants from wildlife. Works great for medical care and wound treatment.”

In less than a week, the post has been shared over 230,000 times, garnering more than 6,000 comments in the process, with one of those from the organization themselves. “On behalf of the animals, thank you so much for spreading the word!” said the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge in a comment on Saturday.  

So, if you’re looking to join the cause you can do so by sending your clean mascara wands (alongside this form) to: 

Appalachian Wildlife Refuge

P.O. Box 1211

Skyland NC 28776

For anyone who’s not a fan of mascara but a fan of giving back, fear not — there are other ways you can get involved. In an effort to promote recycling the organization asks that you don’t purchase new wands but instead donate food or supplies from their wishlist or make a donation.

So before you toss out your old mascara, remember our friends at the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge. By putting your old wands to good use, you’ll not only be helping wildlife, you’ll be helping the planet. Plus, it’ll open up some room in your makeup collection for a new bottle of your favorite mascara. That’s what we call a win-win! 

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