Brushing your teeth, the environmental way
About three years ago I ordered a large package of bamboo toothbrushes and three years is how long it lasted. This order was a little bit paradoxical though. I had to order the toothbrushes from Australia, when I live in Norway. Basically, my environmental toothbrushes had to travel across the world, which of course is not very eco-friendly.
However, a lot has happened in those three years. The Zero Waste movement has slowly arrived in Norway too. This time my toothbrushes did not require such journey. A Norwegian company called Puss Med Bambus now offers these brushes. They offer a subscription where they send you a package once a year automagically, so you don't have to think about re-ordering. The package contains four brushes and will last a year, if you use them as directed; change brush every third month. If a subscription sound scary, it can be canceled anytime.
Now, this is a Norwegian company and as far as I'm aware, they don't do international sales. So where ever in the world you are, reading this, Puss Med Bambus is probably not for you. Worry not, though. Bamboo brushes are growing in popularity and I'm sure something will come up after a quick search in Google. There are plenty of places you can order from. If you're European, a company called Hydrophil sells similar brushes and other environmental toiletries. If you're from Australia or New Zealand, The Environmental Toothbrush might be the best alternative, and if you're from America there are plenty to choose from, for instance Brush With Bamboo. I will always encourage people to order items from their home country or nearby countries. Don't order from somewhere else just because it's cheaper, our current shipping methods are not environmental enough.
Anyway, back to the brushes. The bristles are made out of nylon and that's the only non-recyclable part of the brush. After your toothbrush has served it's purpose, the bristles have to be removed with pliers. They are regular trash, but there's a significant difference between a few nylon bristles and an entire brush with handle and everything. Once the bristles are removed the wooden handle can be burned, composted or buried.
Why go through all this just because of a toothbrush, you say? Well, the truth is... even though ordinary toothbrushes are plastic, they are not recyclable. Plastic in general is bad for the environment. It doesn't break down , it only breaks into smaller pieces until it becomes microplastic. Microplastic doesn't really go away and it is already nearly everywhere. Our oceans are full of it! It doesn't just end there, most plastics leach hormone mimicking chemicals, potentially causing imbalances in your body. I think plastic should be banned from use in disposable items such as packaging, q-tips, toothbrushes, razors and so on. I've also done some math. In my three year use of bamboo brushes I've replaced thirteen plastic brushes. By the time I'm 80 years old that number will be approximately 240 toothbrushes. That's how many toothbrushes I alone can replace. Imagine if 100 people did the same. That'd save the landfill from 24 000 non-recyclable, non-compostable toothbrushes and the world from one heck of a lot of microplastic.
0 comments