Eco-Friendly Toothbrush Review

08/24/ Update: My new favorite bamboo toothbrush is called Brush with Bamboo.  Read the full review here.  It wasn&#;t around back when I wrote this post.

View Details

&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;

What toothbrush would you choose? Recycled plastic in returnable packaging or natural wood packaged in plastic? Nylon bristles or natural pig hair? Or how about a stick that you chew on? I&#;ve been researching toothbrush alternatives and found that they all have pros and cons. How you brush your teeth will depend on your environmental and ethical priorities, I think. There&#;s no perfect answer. Which would you choose?

Preserve Recycled/Recyclable Toothbrush

Materials: 100% post-consumer recycled polypropylene #5 plastic and Nylon bristles. Recycled plastic wrapper which doubles as a prepaid mailer.

Origin: Made in the United States.

Why it&#;s good: I don&#;t use the word &#;recyclable&#; lightly. If a company claims its product can be recycled but doesn&#;t provide an actual way to recycle it, then I don&#;t consider it recyclable at all. Preserve DOES provide a way to return its plastic products for recycling (some would say &#;downcycling) so I give them props for practicing extended producer responsibility.

Preserve toothbrushes are made from recycled yogurt containers and other post-consumer #5 polypropylene plastic that is returned to them through their Gimme5 program. You can bring your used #5 plastics (all Preserve products, other #5 containers, medicine bottles, Brita filters, Tom&#;s deodorant containers, etc.) to participating Whole Foods stores or mail them back to Preserve. The toothbrush wrapper doubles as a prepaid mailer. When you&#;re done with your toothbrush, just stick it in the mail. The mailer will be recycled along with the toothbrush. Personally, though, I prefer to save them up and take them to Whole Foods to avoid the extra fuel to ship individual toothbrushes. But I appreciate Preserve&#;s efforts to make recycling easy for customers.

Less Than Perfect: Keep in mind, though, that Preserve&#;s recycling program does not actually close the recycling loop. Toothbrushes are recycled into plastic lumber, which does nothing to decrease the demand for virgin plastic to create those yogurt containers, Brita filters, and other packaging, but it does decrease the demand for virgin plastic toothbrushes and slows down the plastic&#;s journey to the landfill.

Also? This toothbrush is made from plastic. It you don&#;t want to put plastic anywhere near your mouth, this is not the toothbrush for you.

How it Works: I have been using these toothbrushes since . I like the bent handle and soft bristles.

Environmental Toothbrush

Materials: Bamboo handle, Nylon bristles, cardboard box, polypropylene inner wrapper.

Origin: Made in Australia. (Correction: Designed in Australia/Made in China.)

Why It&#;s Good: Most of the Environmental toothbrush and packaging are plastic-free and compostable. And the company cites an article in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, which states that Nylon 4 &#; the material from which the bristles happen to be made &#; is also biodegradable in soil:

9.2. Nylon 4
It has been reported that nylon 4 was degraded in the soil [88] and in the activated sludge [89]. The results confirmed that Nylon 4 is readily degradable in the environment. Furthermore, the biodegradability of nylon 4 and nylon 6 blends was investigated in compost and activated sludge. The nylon 4 in the blend was completely degraded in 4 months while nylon 6 was not degraded [90]. Recently, Yamano et al. was able to isolate polyamide 4 degrading microorganisms (ND-10 and ND-11) from activated sludge. The strains were identified as Pseudomonas sp. The supernatant from the culture broth of strain ND-11 degraded completely the emulsified nylon 4 in 24 h and produced γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as degradation product [91].

Less Than Perfect: The inner white sleeve around the toothbrush is actually made from nonwoven polypropylene plastic, not paper. After receiving a shipment of the toothbrushes for the giveaway, I was curious about the shiny coating inside the wrappers and emailed the company to find out what it was. James Wilson, the company&#;s International Sales Manager wrote to find out, and that&#;s when we both discovered that the wrapper is made with plastic. According to the company:

This is as green as we could make the packaging and still pass all health restrictions when packaging a toothbrush.

How it Works: The bristles are a little harder than the Preserve bristles that I&#;m used to, so I have just been learning not to brush as hard. And I had to get used to the shorter handle. But it&#;s a basic toothbrush. It works fine.

Life Without Plastic&#;s Plastic-free Wooden Toothbrush

Materials: Sustainably-harvested beechwood handle preserved with vegetable oil, natural bristles made from pig hair, small cellophane wrapper around the head of the toothbrush (cellophane is made from trees.)

Origin: Made in Germany. Pig hair imported from China.

Why it&#;s Good: The Life Without Plastic toothbrush is the only completely plastic-free toothbrush I have found. If your priority is to completely avoid plastic, this could be the toothbrush for you. And I love that the manufacturer uses such a small amount of packaging.

Less than Perfect: The bristles come from long-haired pigs that are raised for food. If you are vegetarian or vegan, this is not a toothbrush for you. But if you eat meat and see value in using part of the animal that would have gone to waste, this toothbrush might be your best bet. By the way, Jay from Life Without Plastic says they will continue to look for a natural AND vegetarian option.

How it Works: Honestly? I don&#;t know. I am a vegetarian and don&#;t want to try it. But if you try it, let us know how it works out for you.

Other Toothbrush Options

The three toothbrushes reviewed above are the only ones I seriously considered for this post. But there are other options that contain varying degrees of plastic, so I thought I would mention them.

Radius Source toothbrush: The durable toothbrush handle is made from recycled materials (flax, wood, or dollar bills.) But the disposable toothbrush head is made from plastic and is not taken back for recycling. What&#;s more, the toothbrush comes in a plastic blister pack.

Swissco wooden toothbrush with natural bristles: The toothbrush itself is plastic-free (although not vegetarian) but it comes in a hard plastic case.

Acca Kappa toothbrush with natural bristles: The Acca Kappa handle is made from cellulose acetate, which is produced from wood and cotton byproducts. The bristles are not vegetarian. And sadly, the toothbrush comes in a plastic container.

Neem Chew Sticks

And now, for a completely different alternative, I&#;m considering skipping the toothbrush altogether and chewing on sticks.

In researching toothbrush options for this post, I discovered something called Miswak sewak, used in the Arab world for natural toothbrushing. You peel off the bark at the tip and then chew the end to separate the fibers. Then you use the fibers to brush your teeth, and when they wear out, you cut off the tip and work your way down the stick. I thought it sounded like a neat idea, except all the miswak sticks come sealed in plastic.

Then Jay mentioned they are similar to Neem sticks which have been used for centuries in India. And today, I discovered a company called Neem Tree Farms in the United States, which ships Neem Sticks fresh the same day they are harvested. I was assured they can be shipped without plastic packaging (in fact, the web site recommends not storing them in plastic), so I ordered a batch today to try.

Neem Tree Farms has farms in Florida and Mexico.  The company also sells seedlings so you can grow your own, but I have to see how I feel about the sticks first. That will be a post for another day.

Link to Zhuzhijiang

And my next oral care dilemma will be finding a good plastic-free toothpaste replacement, now that Tom&#;s of Maine has switched to plastic tubes. I&#;ve gotten lots of advice from people, but I can always use more.

Bamboo versus electric toothbrush: Which is the more sustainable?

Billions of toothbrushes are discarded every year. How can we brush our teeth in a more environmentally friendly way?

When I used to work in an office, I'd keep a manual, plastic toothbrush in my desk drawer. My colleagues would laugh as I diligently made my way to the bathroom, toothbrush in hand, every afternoon after lunch. At home, I had an electric toothbrush. I've always looked after my teeth, but ask me about my chosen toothbrush brand, about its material composition or its environmental impact, and I couldn't tell you. My relationship with my toothbrush was disposable and limited to its ability to clean my teeth. I doubt I was alone.

People should replace their toothbrushes every three to four months or more often if the bristles are frayed, according to The American Dental Association.

Given the toothbrush's ubiquity (billions are used and discarded every year), a group of academics from University College London (UCL) Eastman Dental Institute and Trinity College Dublin recently published a joint report to compare the sustainability of different types of toothbrushes. They compared plastic manual, plastic manual with replaceable heads, bamboo, and electric &#; using a life-cycle assessment (LCA) to consider all aspects of a toothbrush's "life", from creation to disposal.

The fossil fuel-derived plastic polypropylene, used to make both types of plastic brushes, had the single biggest impact on the environment when it came to the LCA of the brushes. In its Global Plastics Outlook, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that around 380 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced globally each year, of which 43 million tonnes comes from consumer products. And roughly 14 million tonnes of this, or 3.7% of total plastic waste, is made of polypropylene.

As for the electric toothbrush, its environmental impact was 11 times greater than the bamboo toothbrush, according to the LCA. It performed the worst in all but one category (water scarcity) and the greatest contributor to its overall environmental impact was transport (due to being heavier).

But if the electric brush came last, which brush topped the table? Oral hygiene was taken out of the equation, with both the report and the NHS claiming there is no evidence that any type of toothbrush is more clinically effective for the prevention of cavities and tooth decay, although electric brushes are more effective at removing plaque &#; partly down to technique, the in-built timing device and more agile heads. (Read more about How to properly brush your teeth in this article by Martha Henriques).

Bamboo brushes

The UCL and Trinity College study showed that plastic manual toothbrushes with replaceable heads came top, very closely followed by bamboo. You might find it surprising that plastic toothbrushes &#; even those with replaceable heads &#; are more sustainable than bamboo ones, given that bamboo grows quickly in otherwise challenging conditions and is a natural carbon sink.

"Bamboo toothbrushes may stop land from being put to better use such as increasing biodiversity, or in growing trees to offset carbon emissions," co-author Paul Ashley, professor of paediatric dentistry at UCL says of the findings. "It is therefore not necessarily the best option for the environment as popularly believed. Though it's important to note that its [climate impact] is still much lower than conventional and electric toothbrushes."

Patrick Verkland, chief executive of The Humble Co., a Swedish company which makes bamboo and plant-based toothbrushes, says that by working closely with suppliers, they ensure that their bamboo is grown in a way that respects the surrounding ecosystem and does not encroach on land critical for biodiversity or food production.

"Bamboo's biodegradability sets it apart as a material for toothbrushes, as it decomposes naturally when disposed of properly," Verkland says. "In contrast, most plastic toothbrushes persist in the environment for centuries if not fully recycled &#; a process that remains a huge challenge on a large scale."

Approximately 60% of The Humble Co.'s toothbrush handles are 100% plant-based (the plan is for all handles to be fully plant-based within the next 12 months). The rest feature a small amount of plastic, while bristles are made from nylon, a plastic component that the company is looking to replace with alternatives, which it is currently researching, Verkland says.

While trying to design a sustainable electric toothbrush, Gyve Safavi, founder and chief executive of electric toothbrush company Suri, based in the UK, came across a problem. He was researching the possibility of recycling replaceable plastic toothbrush heads and when he spoke to different recycling streams in the UK, they told him that "the heads can be recycled but they are too small for them to process, so they don't".

Safavi encountered the same hurdle when looking for manufacturers that could create a toothbrush handle that could be opened up by users. They were initially incredulous, confused as to why he'd want a toothbrush that could be repaired.

But he found solutions to both problems. Suri's toothbrush heads are made from cornstarch and its bristles from castor oil. Customers can send used heads back to Suri in a prepaid envelope to be recycled. The brand will also take back all brushes at end-of-life. "We designed our brush [with a battery] that lasts two to three times longer than most conventional electric toothbrushes on a single charge. This means it needs to be charged less frequently which significantly extends the overall battery life, and therefore the lifespan of the toothbrush," says Safavi. "We take them apart and we salvage all the materials we can. Batteries cannot be reused, but we can recycle them to the best raw components possible." According to a report in UK consumer champion magazine Which?, Suri "seems leaps ahead of others on the market when it comes to its green credentials".

More like this:

&#; Baking soda: a phenomenal green cleaner or a dud?

&#; Why I cycled 1,500km to avoid a flight

&#; Why bad teeth are harmful to your health

Sophie Thomas, a circular design expert and visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Engineering, UCL, says that "the Suri rechargeable electric toothbrush is definitely a step in the right direction, with better charging, repair services &#; a great way to understand common fails in these products &#; and a send back recycling scheme for the heads".

"The carbon impact for any electric toothbrush is predominantly embedded in the materials of the motor and battery so the longer these can work and be repaired the better," she says.

In their current plastic form, toothbrushes will never get into the recycling system at scale, Thomas adds. On average, she says, a plastic toothbrush is made up of four types of co-moulded polymers that cannot be recycled in the same stream.

"Recycling is always about economics," she explains. "Toothbrush handles are made from HDPEs (High Density Polyethylene), which are so cheap that they have no value. We need to move away from our reliance on plastic and find genuine alternatives for single use and short life products. Bamboo and plant-based materials are a positive step away from the plastic status quo. We should also be looking at the potential of waste streams to create new materials."

Brett Duane, associate professor in Public Dental Health at Trinity College, and lead researcher of the report, says that even recycled plastic is problematic, pointing to a study which found that 13% ends up as microplastics in wastewater after the recycling process. "We need a product [made from materials that] can be grown naturally and then recycled repeatedly to allow land to be used for other purposes, so recycling of non fossil fuel products is the way forward," he says. "I think there are still significant problems with recycling plastic." (Read more about what can and can't be recycled).

At my local supermarket, staring at the shelves filled with toothbrushes, there were no electric versions making environmental claims and only the Ordo Sonic Lite (£35, $45) competed with Suri (£75, $97) on design. As for manual brushes, the two brands that stood out among the majority of plastic products were The Humble Co., which offered two brushes for £3 ($3.9) with a handle made from a mix of plant-based materials and polypropylene, with nylon bristles. Another option featured a "100% biodegradable sustainably grown bamboo" handle and nylon bristles for £4 ($5.20). For £6.95 ($9), TePe Choice offered a manual brush with reusable wooden handle, replaceable plant-based heads and bristles made from castor oil &#; and "80% less plastic waste". I decide to try the latter because of its reusable handle with replaceable heads (the type of brush that topped the study) but without all the plastic, and I was pleased with the results.

I would now struggle to justify buying any plastic toothbrush &#; even one with replaceable heads &#; when there are much better options on the market. Granted, some scrutiny on the consumer's part is needed, such as checking the credentials of the bamboo or other non fossil fuel material.

Even the authors of the UCL and Trinity College report conceded that, since they started their study, new toothbrush materials have come to market and, as such, further research is now needed. They highlighted electric toothbrushes with aluminium, rather than plastic, handles as the next generation of electric brushes. Aside from its renewable materials and recycling capabilities, what struck me about the Suri toothbrush was the thoughtful design. With its slim aluminium body, it is a third of the size of a standard electric toothbrush. And even bamboo toothbrushes look better than plastic ones. Perhaps if more brands put more care into their toothbrushes &#; from rejecting the fossil fuels status quo in favour of better materials to creating a desirable product &#; then more consumers would assign value to them, rather than see toothbrushes as the disposable items they are so often designed to be. I certainly will.

--

If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter &#; a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week. 

Are you interested in learning more about Kids' Biodegradable Toothbrush? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!