Toothbrush Tips
Brush up with “eco” toothbrushes. They clean one of the most susceptible parts of our body everyday, and are typically changed every 4-6 weeks.
Despite being a small disposable consumer product, toothbrushes can pile up with an estimated 50 million pounds being discarded yearly in the US alone. These toothbrushes each target different waste streams and resources, so feel free to choose based on style, your mouth’s sensitivities, or their differing environmental “un”impacts.
Replaceable Head Toothbrush
The Fuchs Ekotec Replaceable Head Toouthbrush is an easy and inexpensive way to keep up on your dental hygiene, save money, and save resources. The head of the toothbrush has a blue line, like conventional brushes, that indicates when it is time to switch heads. You literally pop out the head of the toothbrush and then pop in a new one. Each brush comes with three extra heads and replacement packs come with four, so you can keep your costs low. The company also offers other toothbrushes with natural bristles and eco-friendly toothbrush styles. This is actually the toothbrush I use because it significantly reduces the amount of waste over the long-term and can be found locally (for me). Personally, I like this toothbrush, its great for everyday use and, so I would recommend it.
Recycled plastic Toothbrush
The toothbrush by Preserve is made in the US with 100% recycled #5 plastic and is actually recyclable through their Gimme 5 program. The curved handle and three levels of bristles are designed to thoroughly clean your teeth and gums. Preserve has chosen #5 Plastic because it has not been found to have serious negative environmental impacts, such as off gassing and does not contain BPA. They are truly trying to stop the cradle to grave ideology of most product consumption and work toward a cradle to cradle approach, offering recycling for all of their products. They offer three different types of bristle strength: ultra soft, soft, and medium.
Wooden handle, Natural Bristles
The toothbrush made by Naturborsten is so natural you can compost it. This brush has natural bristles, meaning boar or badger hair, which they state can be harmlessly removed similar to sheering a sheep. The wooden handle is from sustainable wood, although I didn’t find any certifications like the Forest Stewardship Council. The wood is varnished with vegetable oil, keeping in line with its compost-friendly design. Even their packaging is sustainable with biodegradable plastic and cardboard. The only trick is finding company information and ordering the product, I found it on a few online shops but couldn’t track it further then being a German-based company. Just FYI in case you are working on localizing your supply chain.
Ionic Toothbrush
With electric toothbrushes being praised for their “new and improved” cleaning capabilities, this innovative Japanese toothbrush doesn’t even use toothpaste. The Soladey ionic toothbrush is an interesting addition to today’s mix of devices. The toothbrush’s handle has a titanium rod that is charged by indoor and outdoor lighting with negative ions. According to the company, these ions ‘blend with saliva to attract the positive ions (hydrogen) from the acid in the dental plaque of your teeth.’ The result is neutralized acid and disintegrated plaque, leaving your mouth clean. One note of caution, I don’t know anyone who has used this product, but have read the reviews of consumers online that are surprised that it works. So, for the curious, this may be an interesting long-term solution to teeth cleaning, although Titanium is not typically categorized as renewable nor abundant.
These aren’t the only options out there, so please share if you have any additional recommendations. And don’t forget used toothbrushes can be great cleaning brushes, art tools, and put to other innovative uses before they hit the trash can (or recycle bin and preferably the compost bin).
Comments
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February 22nd, 2010Trackback from : Focus Organic.com
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February 22nd, 2010Trackback from : All Things Eco Blog Carnival Volume Ninety One
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February 22nd, 2010Trackback from : 15th Carnival for Green Living | Green Your Apartment
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February 22nd, 2010Trackback from : Everything Home Blog Carnival | My DIY Home Tips
It took me a while to figure out why replaceable bristle toothbrushes are more eco-friendly. If you are having a hard time making this connection, this will help
“By weight, the head of a toothbrush is the lightest part, the bristles may wear out quickly, but the handle lasts a long time. There’s brands of toothbrushes available that have replaceable heads, so you could cut down the bulk of your toothbrush related waste that way.” taken from http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/15/1/Recycle-your-toothbrush.html
Sorry, forgot to include my thinking behind originally purchasing the item. As stated, the head is the only portion that actually needs to be replaced, so you can immediately reduce your impact.
Ideal case would be a hybrid between the wooden handle/natural bristles brush and the replaceable head so you could compost the head. I like the replaceable head because it is easy to keep clean, and I can always bring a spare for when I travel.
Thanks for the additional factoid!
No prob. I’m telling my wife about this! Thanks for sharing.
You have great post with enjoyable writing style. Nice to visit your blog. Thanks for sharing your opinion
Thanks a lot for this post its a very informative about replaceable bristle toothbrush..
thanks….
Great post – I have been researching this for my own company that will launch a new toothbrush and toothpaste design later this year. Although I want to make a more “green” toothbrush it seems that there are a few obstacles. What do you think about just a plain recycled pastic toothbrush, nothing too fancy? Cost is always an issue, so if it is too expensive then it is worthless anyhow as nobody will use it.
Thanks again.