Over the last five years, plastic has stirred up the environmental agenda—and for good reason. Here’s just one sobering statistic: 8 million tons of plastic waste enters the world’s oceans every year. To find answers that would otherwise be out of reach, we need to tackle big challenges as a whole and not just one part. From design to production and supply to recycling, we need to find comprehensive solutions that are sustainable for all.
It’s safe to say that nowadays we are all aware that our excess waste is a detriment to our beautiful planet. By switching from a plastic to a bamboo toothbrush you’re taking the first step in a solution to our global waste problem.
Bamboo toothbrushes are a great alternative to regular toothbrushes because they drastically reduce the amount of plastic used in the product, and are biodegradable, meaning they leave minimal waste behind once you have finished using them. Burying items in a landfill, away from these optimum conditions, and most likely with a lot of other non-biodegradable matter prolongs and even prevents their ability to biodegrade. If you can keep your bamboo toothbrushes out of the landfill, that will give them the best opportunity to biodegrade.
Using a bamboo toothbrush requires a bit more care than a plastic one. But you’ll feel rewarded for going green and loving the planet.
A quick reminder that our handle is made out of 100% biodegradable bamboo with non-toxic soft bristles for an ideal, sustainable lifestyle.
The different parts of your bamboo toothbrush can be disassembled. Are you all set to go?
TIP: Boil your worn toothbrush in hot water to sterilize it and make sure you book it for its second life.
So, it’s been 3 months and your toothbrush is full of bacteria and worn-out? Let’s get you in the mood for some DIY eco-conscious steps to properly dispose of your bamboo toothbrush.
Step 1: Remove the toothbrush bristles
- Find a nice spot on the kitchen table, in a corner of the balcony or a porch to carry out this task.
- Get a pair of pliers or tweezers, a tray or a kitchen towel to better confine the removed bristles and keep them from spreading out;
- Pull the bristles out of the head.
TIP: Don’t try to pull too many in one go. We recommend making a slight rolling movement when pulling. Much easier, right?
- When the removal is complete, you’ll end up with a lightweight pile.
How to recycle the bristles :
Since, The bristles are too small for mixed recyclable bins and they will probably not get recycled.
- Also, better than throwing the small bristles into the big plastic recycling bin we suggest reusing a plastic bottle to keep all the plastic waste tight in one place ready to be correctly discarded.
Step 2: Compost / Dispose of the bamboo handle
- Put it in your home composting bin, if you have one (if you don’t, here’s the permaculture idea of how to create a hot compost);
TIP: Break the bamboo handle into small pieces with a hammer or saw before burying it in the soil. This will speed up decomposition.
- Throw it into your garden, if you are lucky to have one;
- Go for a stroll in your city and stick it in the soil;
Step 3: Reuse or Upcycle your toothbrush handle
- Clean tricky spots, like corners, tiles, basins, etc;
- Make gardening fun by labelling your plants
- Use the bristle-free handle creatively in arts and crafts
There are so many creative projects you can do with your kids or by yourself as a mindfulness exercise. You may build a photo frame, a stick house, a pot base or a soap tray. Imagination has no limits.
How long will it take for my bamboo toothbrush handle to biodegrade?
Bamboo is a rot-resistant material which is what makes it a good choice for making toothbrushes out of. As with any biodegradable material, how quickly it bio-degrades will be largely dependent on the conditions it’s left to decompose in.
- Home composting can take up to 6 months – breaking the handle into smaller pieces may speed this up
- Commercial/ industrial composting could decompose your bamboo toothbrush handle in a matter of weeks
But we can assure you that it will get back to earth entirely.
Our small steps can contribute towards a big change in the environment. If each of us replaces one regularly used product with an eco-friendly substitute, the environment will become a much cleaner and greener place to live in. It is our dream to inspire more people to make these changes together, creating a community of like-minded people, and igniting a movement.
Let's charge through this decade with the aim of embracing healthy changes to provide a better planet for our future generation.