ALLURE.COM: Mandy Moore is what’s known in Hollywood as a triple threat: an actor, singer, and recycler. Yes, the third descriptor typically applies to dancers, but ever since becoming a Garnier brand ambassador, her recycling skills are poised to become the stuff of legend, all thanks to Garnier’s ‘Rinse, Recycle, Repeat’ campaign in collaboration with DoSomething.org. And she’s speaking out to encourage others to correctly recycle their empty beauty product packaging.

“Recycling has been a practice since the ‘80s, but I still know plenty of people who don’t have it as part of their routine,” Moore tells us. “It’s been in my life for as long as I can remember, but when you hear the staggering statistic that only half of Americans recycle their beauty and self-care products, it’s pretty mind-blowing how much waste that actually accounts for in landfills.”

A big factor in the woefully low number of empties being recycled, Moore says, is a lack of knowledge about what can and can’t be recycled and the right way to go about recycling certain types of packaging. “Before I became a part of Garnier’s ‘Rinse, Recycle, Repeat’ campaign, I was recycling things that aren’t technically recyclable, that can’t be collected in the regular collection,” she admits, which is why why the campaign is so important: it not only gets the word out about the right way to recycle things like conditioner bottles and moisturizer jars, it’s also the world’s first-ever beauty recycling program that facilitates the collection and recycling of beauty empties that otherwise cannot be recycled for free.

Empowered with new recycling know-how, the This Is Us star is eager to spread the word about easy ways to keep unnecessary beauty waste out of landfills. “It’s just about better-educating people so they can understand what and how they can recycle and hoping that they look at every way they can get involved and make a difference,” Moore says. “I hope they see what a real impact something as simple as recycling their shampoo bottles can make. It’s just nice to have a tangible action so you know you’re making a real difference.”

Moore makes that tangible action as easy as possible in her own home by keeping recycling receptacles in a front-and-center spot. “I’ve started keeping a box next to my recycling bin in my kitchen so I know that when I have my beauty empties and I’ve taken the lids off and whatnot, I have a specific place — I can train myself, and it’s not out-of-sight-out-of-mind,” she says. “I’ve heard of people keeping a box in their bathroom so it becomes more habitual. I’m fine with having it in my kitchen so I know that it’s there. It’s right next to the other recycling, so it all feels a little more organized to me, personally.”

This simple change has helped Moore feel like she’s making a difference, and she’s confident ‘Rinse, Recycle, Repeat’ will do the same for others: “I think that so many people — especially young people — want to find a way that they can make an impact, and this campaign will give them all the tools they need.”

For more information on how you can properly recycle your beauty empties for free, visit the Garnier’s ‘Rinse, Recycle, Repeat’ page at garnierusa.com.