Friday, January 25, 2019

Finding The Best Sustainable Toothbrush Options

By Kimberly Wallace


It has been noticed an increased interest in eco-friendly and degradable items, so many companies are shifting their attention towards alternatives, such as sustainable toothbrush options, bio-degradable paper bags, replacing Styrofoam cups and so on.

If you are interested in using eco-friendlier alternatives in your life, and perhaps are already reducing the plastic use, why not change the toothbrush and cosmetic containers as well? In terms of environmental friendly toothbrushes, the bamboo ones are the most advertised and vastly known. However, it is important to research a bit before choosing one, as the low quality ones can get quite soggy and have a weird taste.

The most important or common question in this case would be if the toothbrush you are looking for is 100% compostable. The answer may surprise you, but not all of them are, as the bristles usually contains plastic. There are some 100% compostable ones, but they use pig hair, which is not an option for vegans or vegetarians. Even if you do not use the ones with pig hair, the handle is eco-friendly, unlike the usual ones with plastic and rubber, which will remain the same years after years and pollute our land and water.

Besides bamboo, other types of eco-friendly toothbrushes would be the ones made from recycled plastic, corn or wheat straw. There are a few companies that create and sell these types, including one made from recycled yoghurt pots. When they are ready to be replaced you can send them back and they will recycle and reuse them.

Moreover, some of these toothbrushes have also entirely compostable packaging, using recycled paper without any glue and tape. The wrapper can be processed from corn starch, so it can decompose within a month in a commercial composter. You can also decompose them at home but it will take more than a month because the heat isn't as in the commercial ones.

The packaging and wrappers need to be in agreement with the rules and regulation of the countries they will be exported to, and thus the companies are constantly trying to come up with new and better ways to create them. A new wrapper is in test, made of wood cellulose.

Besides the bamboo toothbrushes, there are some types of charcoal toothbrushes. However, it is not advisable to use them or the ones with activated charcoal in them. This is because even though they claim to remove stains and plaque and prevent bad breath, as well as cavities, there are no scientific studies to substantiate this claim. Dentist are warning against it as it may strip your teeth of their enamel.

The general concern regarding the environmental issues we are facing is growing, and more and more people are taking a stand against waste and non-eco-friendly items. Plastic is one of the materials used worldwide and it is used in almost every item we use and it is non-degradable and will remain in the land or water for hundreds of years. This is why focusing on using and developing eco-friendly options is extremely important.




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