It’s one of the first things we do in the morning and one of the last we do at night. Yet brushing our teeth sees billions of plastic toothbrushes bound for the world’s rubbish dumps and oceans every year.
As important as good oral health is, must it be a source of pollution? Two decades ago, that question set Massachusetts-based Eric Hudson on a quest to produce the world’s first recyclable plastic toothbrush.
Recyclable handles
After months consulting dentists, scientists and engineers, the Preserve toothbrush was born. The award-winning design has a handle made from recycled plastic – from discarded toothbrushes and yoghurt pots – and bristles manufactured from new nylon.
“A lot of big brands say that they don’t see the ‘purchase intent’ among customers for recyclable toothbrushes,” he says. “But for us, that’s not the point: the point is to lighten the footprint of the product from the start.”
Preserve says it’s now the top-selling US toothbrush in the country’s $85.5bn (£67bn) natural grocery market. The company’s arched brushes can be found on the shelves of Walmart, Trader Joe’s and a host of other mainstream retailers. Already operating in 18 global markets, B Corp-certified Preserve is currently looking to expand in Europe.
Marking out the product is Preserve’s commitment to so-called closed-loop manufacturing. The company currently operates a nationwide recycling campaign called Gimme 5, which sees around 400 recycling bins placed in retail stores around the US. Consumers can use the bins (mostly located in Whole Foods stores) to return any polypropylene plastics, which are then recycled to make the toothbrush handle.
Since 2008, the initiative has saved more than 500,000kg of plastic from going to landfill. To cover its collection costs, Preserve has a sponsorship deal with baby-food manufacturer Plum Organics and Danone-owned yoghurt brand Stonyfield Farm.
“Toothbrushes get completely lost in the recycling process ... often they’re destined [for] waste-to-energy or shipped overseas, so the Gimme 5 programme definitely has a lighter impact on the earth,” says Hudson.
He admits that finding a fully sustainable material for the brush’s bristles is a struggle. Ideally, the company would like to find a biodegradable option – a quest that remains “still in the research lab”. It currently uses virgin nylon, which is the “bristle of choice” among dental professionals but is not recycled.
Bamboo brushes
Another option for green-minded consumers is biodegradable toothbrushes. Instead of having to go to the trouble of recycling your brush when you’re done with it (which only 10-20% of those who buy the Preserve Toothbrush actually do), you can just throw it on the compost heap.
The overwhelming biodegradable material-of-choice is bamboo, given its natural tensile strength and its ability to grow fast. An early entrant into the market is the Environmental Toothbrush, which retails at £2.85 in the UK. Invented by a suburban dentist in Brisbane, Australia, it boasts a heat-treated carbonised surface that gives it a smooth finish – as well as stopping it going manky on the edge of your bathroom sink.
You’re unlikely to stumble on the Environmental Toothbrush or otherbiodegradable brushes (such as Save Some Green and Brush with Bamboo) on the high-street. Consumers have to either go hunting in specialist health stores or surf eco-ecommerce sites such as Living Naturally or Boobalou.
A rare exception is the Humble Brush, which UK supermarket Waitrose started selling at the beginning of the year. In addition to its environmental credentials (the handle is made from FSC-certified bamboo), the product’s Swedish manufacturer pledges to donate a free brush or the cost-equivalent in oral care for children living in vulnerable countries.
“The production of plastic toothbrushes produces toxins and leaves a carbon footprint. But more importantly, they never biodegrade,” says Noel Abdayem, a qualified dentist and founder of Humble Brush.
Bio-brushes
For those who aren’t sold on the idea of plastic in any form (Humble Brush uses nylon-6 bristles), the current market options are even more restricted. James Cowles, managing director at the eco-product manufacturer Save Some Green, believes the future could lie with compostable plant-based plastics.
“Demand is getting to the stage where [a bioplastic solution] is going to have to happen. Look at the ban on microbeads and the amount of plastics going into the ocean. It’s not good for the fish, and it’s not good for us,” Cowles says.
One option for now is to go old-school and revert to the pre-nylon days of toothbrushes with bristles made from pig hair. Germany-based Life without Plastic offers just such a product. Its handle, which is made from sustainably-harvested beech wood, should further satisfy (non-vegan) eco-consumers.
Rachelle Strauss, founder of Zero Waste Week, says a shift to fully recyclable or biodegradable materials by Oral B, Colgate-Palmolive, Crest and the sector’s other big brands is long overdue. As an immediate step, her advice is to go for a recyclable plastic brush with a comprehensive take-back scheme.
“Those already committed to buying green show a preference for biodegradable options,” she says. “But I wonder if the average consumer is really ready to use a bamboo toothbrush.”
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