Green Living Blog: Reduce waste with a recycled toothbrush
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Here in Toronto, we’re lucky enough to have a pretty good curbside pickup program that takes a variety of recyclables (including many plastics) as well as food waste. What this means, effectively, is that just about everything that goes in my garbage can these days is some sort of non-recyclable plastic, usually packaging but sometimes other goods. One of the culprits: toothbrushes.
Assuming you follow your dentist’s directions properly, you’ll go through about four toothbrushes a year. That might not seem like much waste compared to how much garbage goes to the curb every week, but multiply it by 30 million Canadians and 120 million toothbrushes suddenly seems like a lot. Plus, think of all the plastic that’s created just for those “disposable” toothbrushes.
To cut back, I just went to recycline.com and signed up for a year’s worth of recycled – and recyclable – toothbrushes. They’re made primarily from recycled Stonyfield Farm yogurt containers and when you’re done with them, the company will take them back (postage paid from the US) and recycle them again into plastic lumber. They also offer you the option of receiving one toothbrush every three months, a handy reminder that it’s time to throw out the old brush. While I was there, I picked up a razor, also made from recycled plastics and recyclable by the company and by some curbside pickup programs (it’s made from #5 plastic).
When it comes to the three Rs, it’s better to reduce than reuse and better to reuse than recycle, but when it comes to items like toothbrushes and razors that can’t be reduced or reused, recycling is definitely the best option.
Have any of you tried these toothbrushes, or any other eco-friendly options?
Today’s code word: toothbrush
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March 25th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Recycling toothbrushes would be a good idea if it could be done LOCALLY. Think of the extra carbon expenditure shipping them to the U.S.A — not much if just you’re doing it, but it adds up if a lot of people do this. Perhaps a toothbrush with a wooden/corncob handle and replacable heads would be a better choice. I believe that wood (as in cutting boards) are resistant to bacterial growth. And at some point, you could bury them in the back yard ;>)
March 25th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I have a few uses to re-use those old toothbrushes…
- they are great for cleaning in all those small areas, like at the back of the sink or that little overflow hole at the front of the sink.
- they reach into the corners when you are trying to wash floors (but unless you’re in the army, no need to do the entire floor with them)
- animal lovers don’t hate me, but I use the old ones to clean my dog’s teeth on occasion.
March 25th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Lynda, you’re right, but consider that all of my garbage goes in a truck to Michigan and it doesn’t seem so bad. What would be wonderful is a compostable toothbrush that I could bury in my backyard!
March 25th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
LOL… maybe we would have to go back to the pre historic times when our ancesters used tips of wooden branches of certain trees to clean their teeth, effective and environment friendly.
March 25th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
But those were in the days before refined sugar!
March 25th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Like Angela I have come up with methods to reuse the old toothbrushes. They are great for cleaning sink drain holes and sides as well. Also, I think that the eco-cost of the recycling could well outweigh the benefits. Great idea if the recycling could be done locally or regionally. Also, what about stripping the bristles and then recycling the plastic leftovers locally?
March 25th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I never even thought about toothbrushes!..thanx for reminding me..corn cob tooth brush sounds good but would it sell?…Still a very good idea though. I brush my cat ’s with old ones too but eventually they end up n the garbage can also.
March 26th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Thanks for the tip about Preserve toohbrushes. It seems you can buy them (and the razors, too!)from homedepot.ca. Maybe you can get them in the stores as well?
I wonder if Home Depot would take them back, too. No harm in asking, anyway.
March 27th, 2008 at 6:07 am
I just started using Preserve toothbrushes as well. Like Angela I re-use my toothbrushes.
When I have several that have been used & re-used I plan on sending them back to the company in a batch.
I think it’s important to buy items made from recycled goods in order to close the loop. If the demand for recycled goods grew, more of them would come on the market and hopefully be made locally.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Hi Kim,
That’s a good idea, and it’s the reason I chose to get all four toothbrushes at once rather than one every three months - to save on the packaging involved in mailing.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I had no idea you could even buy recycled toothbrushes. What a fantastic idea. Thanks so much for sharing! I hope you guys keep up this blog long after the contest ends.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Thanks for the kind words, Shayna!