How To Recycle Toothbrushes And Toothpaste
Once you're finished with your toothbrush it can go in your regular bin as it will degrade quicker than plastic in a landfill, (or it can also be composted if the bristles are removed first before recycling).
Contact your local recycling center to see if they accept the types of plastic you have. Local grocery stores may accept used toothbrushes through their own programs. Repurpose your old toothbrushes for household chores like scrubbing floors and polishing jewelry.
Well look no further. We are proud to be a drop-off location for old toothbrushes, toothpaste and oral health waste. You can just throw it into one of our branded recycling boxes across our Gold Coast and Northern NSW practices.
The American Dental Association recommends replacing toothbrushes every three months. It's around this time that bristles begin to break down and become less effective at cleaning your teeth. Germs are another factor.
National Geographic explains that plastic toothbrushes aren't recyclable because the composite plastic used to create them doesn't break apart efficiently, and chunks get stuck in recycling machinery.
Yes! We encourage you to send in all your used oral care products and packaging, no matter the brand. Is there a weight limit to how much I can ship through the recycling program? You can send in as much or as little as you like—there is no weight limit to the oral care products you'd like to recycle!
Never bin old electricals. It is important to dispose of an electric toothbrush properly for two reasons. First, electric toothbrushes are powered by batteries that can cause fires in the waste stream if crushed or damaged.
The bristles can then go into your plastic recycling, but as they are so small and easily lost, we recommend first putting them inside another plastic item you are recycling, like food packaging, a bottle or carton, etc.
Bacteria can easily grow on toothbrushes, so it's important to store them in a clean, dry place. The best way to do this is to use a protective case in your suitcase or toiletry bag. But DO take your brush out of the case and allow it to air dry between uses wherever you're visiting.
Electric toothbrushes contain batteries and must not be placed in your household landfill or recycling bin. If batteries cannot be removed from the device, the whole device must be disposed of for free at the hazardous waste area at the ACT Government Resource Management Centres: Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre.
Typically, cleaning products can be disposed of just like other normal household waste. But before you dispose of them, be sure to read the label to see if there are any specific disposal instructions.
Tubes of toothpaste or medicated cream
Put this item in your garbage (grey) cart. Additional information: If your garbage cart is already full, excess garbage must be placed in a garbage bag.
Plastic toothpaste tubes go in your general waste bin. This includes other tubes such as creams and lotions. Some personal care and beauty brands have partnered with Terracycle to recycle some types of packaging. Check for a recycling drop off point near you.
Your local authority may collect small electrical items including your electric toothbrush. Visit your local council page to see if they collect small electrical items. This is usually found under 'what can I Recycle. ' If they do, follow the guidance provided to get your electric toothbrush collected and recycled.
Simply squeeze out as much of the toothpaste from the tube as you can, put the cap back on and place the tube in your recycling bin. Our tube recycles with #2 HDPE plastics. Please don't cut open the toothpaste tube to try and remove excess toothpaste!
The rotating bristles of an electric toothbrush can be perfect for scrubbing kitchen utensils like cheese graters, garlic mincers, and any perforated metal object. It can also be used to give your jewelry a thorough and detailed clean.
Traditionally, since most of the world's toothpaste tubes are made with a mix of materials, they have not been recycled. Globally, that adds up to 20 billion toothpaste tubes a year that are tossed in the trash.
The bamboo handle of the Brush with Bamboo toothbrush is compostable and biodegradable. The USDA Certified 100% Biobased bristles are biobased but not biodegradable. Although these bristles will eventually return to the soil, you may recycle them at your local recycling facility or with Terracyle®.
So, what happens to all of these discarded toothbrushes? Unfortunately, many of them end up in landfills or even worse, in our oceans. In fact, it's estimated that there are currently over 5 trillion pieces of plastic in our oceans, much of which comes from single-use plastic items like toothbrushes.
Plastic toothbrush – 500 years
Most get lost in the recycling process and end up in landfill or make their way into rivers and oceans. These toothbrushes are made from polypropylene plastic and nylon and can take up to 500 years or more to decompose.
It's not too difficult to have a biodegradable toothbrush as far as the handle is concerned, but bristles often get in the way of a toothbrush being fully compostable.
The most sanitary way to store your toothbrush is to keep the toothbrush in a clean holder where airflow can dry the toothbrush. Yet, it won't be contaminated by bathroom germs.