99% of all the toothbrushes in the world are made from plastic. And about 1 billion plastic toothbrushes are used and trashed each year in the USA. Which got me thinking…
What’s the impact of this on our environment?
The most obvious problem is that most of these plastic brushes will either pollute our environment or sit in landfill.
Once in landfill, they will take about 1000 years to degrade.
They will never fully biodegrade…
They’ll just degrade into smaller micro plastics which are dangerous to us and our wildlife.
And when entering the ocean, they can even be mistaken for animals.. like this poor seahorse below (photo by Ocean Care)...
Microplastics are blowing into rivers and oceans.
If you’re struggling to understand the consequences of this, let’s put it into perspective with some really shocking statistics...
National Geographic did a study which revealed that 90% of table salts in Europe contained microplastics. And WWF recently did a study that showed: people around the world are consuming a credit card's-worth of microplastic every week.
Now we all know that the majority of this microplastic does not come from our toothbrushes.
But with over 1 billion brushes being thrown out each year - it’s concerning enough for us to politely nudge our friends and family to make a switch.
We designed our bamboo toothbrush to have a fully compostable handle.
Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.
Howard ZinnBut what about the bristles?
To tell you the truth, the bristles are tricky.
Finding compostable bristles wasn’t hard. But finding compostable bristles that we could have approved by dentists - is still looming in our future.
Teeth are something you should never take a risk on because dental bills when something goes wrong can be very expensive.
Therefore...
We designed our bamboo toothbrush with a compostable handle and nylon 6 bristles. The handle makes up 99% of the total brush.
Our brushes have been approved, recommended by dental professionals and stocked by dental offices.
Just make sure you snap off the head or pluck the bristles out with tweezers (which you can then recycle), and then you can compost the handle.
If you want to make an eco-friendly switch and try a bamboo toothbrush, you can use ours without any risk whatsoever.
We offer a 30 day refund on our bamboo toothbrushes. Our refund rate is below 0.3% so we’re extremely proud of our design and confident that once you go BAMBOO you won’t go back.
At the moment, you can get a 10-pack of brushes for $14.95 (less than $1.50 per brush) by clicking on this link.
Our Toothbrushes
Kids - Ocean Explorer Pack
Small handles with soft, multi-colored bristles to make teeth brushing fun.
Harriet S.
Co-Founder of Zero Waste Cartel & surfer of very small waves
9 comments
I purchased these a few months ago and LOVE them! I have not noticed a difference in how they clean. I love the bristles ( purchased soft) and I feel good knowing that I am contributing a small part to help our world.
I love this toothbrush! And I am so happy that it is recyclable! There is only one change I would make; the shape. Trader Joe’s has a toothbrush made from recycled products. I love the curved shape of the body as it works really well to get to hard to reach areas. The head on your toothbrush makes it just a little cumbersome for my small mouth. But you had me a recyclable. :)
I’ve been using your toothbrushes for awhile. They’re great and a deal. I just gave one to my 6 year old granddaughter. She likes it too.
I ordered bamboo toothbrushes mainly because I was looking for a plastic alternative. However, after using them for several months, I found I love everything about them. I alternate between two brushes, so they dry out between brushings and after 3 months they show no signs of wear and look so beautifully crafted. They do a great job on my teeth as well, The nylon bristles seem softer than the plastic brushes I had in the past, even the ones that are labeled “soft”. I bought a box of 10. and will order another for “stocking stuffers” at Christmas, since each brush comes in a cute little box.