Green Newton

Toothbrush manufacturers and dentists recommend that you replace your toothbrush every three to four months. Since most are not recyclable, that’s a LOT of toothbrushes that wind up in the trash over your lifetime.

Next time you are shopping for a toothbrush, try compostable bamboo. Bamboo toothbrushes are becoming more widely available in stores and online. Look for sustainably harvested bamboo handles and be sure to pull out the plastic bristles before composting. Here are just a few sustainable brands:

• Brush with Bamboo makes adult and kid toothbrushes with bristles made of 100% castor bean oil. (While 100% biobased, the bristles should still be removed using pliers before composting the handle.) The handles are organic wild-grown bamboo
• Ecoroots bamboo toothbrushes have bristles made with nylon. While these are BPA-free, infused with charcoal, and non-toxic, they are not biodegradable and must be removed from the toothbrush to be disposed of separately from the compostable handle.
• Life Without Plastic offers bristles made of boar’s hair, a byproduct of the Chinese meat industry. If you are looking for 100% compostable, this is the toothbrush for you.

See more bamboo toothbrush brands reviewed on Sustainable Jungle.  Next, how about some zero waste toothpaste to go with the compostable toothbrush? Here are some toothpaste brands reviewed on Sustainable Jungle to give you a sense of the variety available. (Green Newton does not endorse any products.)

Zero Waste Toothpaste With Fluoride

• Etee
• Naked Company
• Denttabs Toothbrush Tablets
• Unpaste

Zero Waste Toothpaste Without Fluoride

• Etee Chew Paste
• Butter Me Up Toothpastes
• Battle Green Tooth Powder
• The Dirt Tooth Powder
• Georganics Natural Mineral Toothpaste
• Dirty Hippie Tooth Powder
• Scent Cerae Tooth Nibs
• Nelson Naturals

It’s Plastic Free July!

Join millions of people reducing their plastic waste, and start this month. Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics?