We are huge proponents of sustainable oral care here at EcoFam. In fact, promoting sustainable oral care is part of our business DNA. With that in mind, we encourage customers to not settle for our eco-friendly toothpaste tablets alone. We encourage them to combine the tablets with a plastic-free toothbrush.
Our plastic-free toothbrushes are made using materials that are biodegradable. Our toothbrushes are compostable, meaning they easily break down and become part of the soil. You never have to worry about polluting the environment or adding waste to a landfill when you discard one of our toothbrushes.
Tons of Plastic Waste
We are on a mission to help reduce plastic waste one toothbrush at a time. It is a huge job. Consider that the average plastic toothbrush contains 15-20 grams of plastic. It doesn't seem like much until you realize how many toothbrushes are discarded every year.
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends replacing a toothbrush every few months. At that rate, an estimated 23 billion toothbrushes would be discarded worldwide every year. Fortunately, we throw away far fewer. Between electric toothbrushes and people holding on for more than a few months, Americans throw away an estimated 1 billion toothbrushes annually.
But even at that comparably low number, we are still generating tons of plastic waste. In fact, simple math reveals that we are throwing millions of pounds of plastic into our landfills just by way of toothbrushes alone. That is a lot of plastic waste.
It's Plastic and Nylon
So, what are plastic toothbrushes actually made of? Handles are typically made of polypropylene or polyethylene. Manufacturers believe both materials make good choices because they are easy to clean and resistant to bacteria. Both types of plastic are also easier to mold into toothbrush handles.
Bristles are usually made of a synthetic polymer. That means nylon in most cases. Nylon is stiff enough to get the job done and yet flexible enough to still be gentle on the teeth.
The challenge with both handles and bristles is the amount of time it takes for the materials to decompose. No one knows for sure exactly how long a plastic toothbrush will remain intact in a landfill, but it's too long no matter the amount of time.
An equally troubling problem with plastic toothbrushes is that they are not easily recyclable. This is due to the fact that they are made with mixed materials. If they were all one type of plastic, that would be one thing. But combining plastic and nylon in a single unit makes recycling nearly impossible.
A Plastic-Free Alternative
We go to all the trouble of explaining this to illustrate why our compostable toothbrushes are a better choice. Our toothbrushes are plastic-free. And as a plastic-free alternative, you are getting a product that doesn't contribute to the plastic waste stream.
Maybe you are the type of person who appreciates the ADA advice to replace your toothbrush every few months. You have resisted doing so because you don't want to add more plastic to the waste stream. Well, now you can have your proverbial cake and eat it too. How? By switching to a plastic high-free toothbrush brand like EcoFam.
Sustainable oral care is what we are all about. We love helping customers adopt the zero-waste lifestyle that is so important to them. We do what we do because we believe it is possible to practice good oral care without contributing to the plastic problem.
If this post has resonated with you, why not combine our toothpaste tablets with a plastic-free toothbrush? The combination is unbeatable.
