If your Colgate toothpaste displays the recyclable tube symbol, then it can be recycled either through local council recycling (follow local council guidelines for recycling HDPE #2 plastics) or TerraCycle. You can find out more about TerraCycle where you are, here: TerraCycle Australia & TerraCycle New Zealand.
Yes, Toothpaste Tubes can be recycled at some out of home recycling points.
Curbside Garbage
Put this item in your garbage.
Toothpaste tubes are often made with a combination of different plastics and a thin layer of aluminum. This mix of materials makes them hard to recycle and it is unlikely they are accepted through your curbside recycling pickup.
Toothpaste is UV-reactive which means it reacts in the presence of light, explaining why it never comes in a see-through package and always has a tight lid. It's only supposed to see light just before you start brushing.
Many of us, with good intention, wash out the tube when it's run out and place it into our recycling bin. The truth is, generic toothpaste tubes are made from a combination of materials, including crude oil and aluminum, which makes them non-recyclable. Those toothpaste tubes have a big impact on our planet.
With 50 million toothpaste tubes per annum sent to landfill in Australia, this is a welcome development from Colgate-Palmolive.
All-plastic toothpaste tubes were introduced in the 1990s, by which time there was another kid on the block – the toothpaste pump.
Were any of those old toothbrushes recycled? Don't worry if you weren't already aware… but toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and caps, and dental floss containers can all be recycled.
Toothpaste can be brought through TSA security in your carry-on as long as it is 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less and placed in a 1-quart bag. If your toothpaste is bigger, put it in your checked luggage or purchase some upon arrival.
Toothpaste is a crucial part of our oral hygiene. On average, the United States throws away more than 400 MILLION empty toothpaste tubes, which can take over 500 years to decompose in landfills.
In fact, the ADA recommends brushing your teeth twice a day, for at least two minutes each brush, for optimum oral health. At this rate, a 3.4oz tube of toothpaste should last you around 40 days, or 80 uses.
Chewing gum can be recycled into pretty much any rubber or plastic item.
Toothpaste tubes fill landfills
Every single year, 1.5 billion toothpaste tubes end up in landfills and the plastic in those tubes needs 500 years to degrade.
As the vast majority of toothpaste tubes are still multi-material items, they belong in the garbage.
After the 1950's the lead- lined toothpaste tube was discontinued for a newfangled synthetic product called plastic. This is currently how most toothpaste is packaged.
Often, they would use water and a rough cloth, scrubbing their teeth. Salt and charcoal were often rubbed across the teeth and then rinsed away. However, the most common way of taking care of teeth involved taking a birch twig and fraying the end, making a primitive brush. Dental powders were also used.
Most toothpaste tubes are made from sheets of plastic laminate, which is usually a combination of different plastics sandwiched around a thin layer of aluminium that protects the toothpaste's flavour and fluoride.
With your help, we can ensure these used products find new life. Join us in this effort with Crest and Oral-B Recycle On Us. We accept toothbrushes, brush heads, toothpaste tubes, mouthwash containers, floss containers and floss picks. How can you get started?
All products should be empty (as empty as they can be). Leftover product that can't be used is generally best disposed of in your landfill bin. Tubes can be cut open to make sure you get every last bit.
Are disposable coffee cups recyclable? Standard disposable coffee cups cannot be recycled through the standard paper recycling process because they have a plastic liner.
In North America, about 77% of Colgate's toothpaste units are now sold in a recycled tube, Tracy said, a figure she expects to rise to 95% by the end of 2023. Globally 43% of toothpaste tubes were recyclable by the end of 2022, she added.
Some ingredients in toothpastes are too harsh for many mouths, and can actually burn the outer tissue of the oral cavity. This burned, dead tissue then forms into the globs and film of white discharge you find in your mouth anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour after brushing.
The main problem with toothpaste tubes is the packaging that it comes in. The tube that the toothpaste is stored in is made of plastic. This plastic can't be recycled and is often tossed into landfills. They never break down, ever!