Quick Tips
Green Quickie: Eco-Friendly Toothbrush?
Have you ever thought about how environmentally-friendly your toothbrush is? Maybe not, but it is a material we use everyday (hopefully at least twice a day) that doesn’t have a long shelf life.
Two simple ways to green your brushing:
- Choose a toothbrush with a replaceable head. You throw away the head, but keep the handle. It’s a modest way to reduce waste headed for a landfill.
- Keep your old toothbrushes for small scrubbing jobs at home like cleaning off nasty shower grime (it’s worked in my casa!)
Posted by Beth
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I don’t know. I buy a new toothbrush once a month. I don’t think that 12 toothbrushes a year make that much of a difference. I think if one day I’ll bike to work instead of driving I’ll offset the environmental consequencess.
Hi Bart – interesting perspective. I tend to disagree, however. While toothbrushes are very small – think of the energy used to create them by manufacturers, shipping (typically by truck) to your local supermarkets or drug stores, and the carbon emissions your car uses to drive to the store. Since it’s recommended to replace toothbrushes approximately every three months, you’re buying 8 extra toothbrushes per year – a decent amount of energy once you realize 8 * 70 (years expectancy) is 560 toothbrushes you don’t need. I do understand while any ‘one’ thing you do to be eco-friendly (or impact the environment negatively) may help or harm a huge extent – but collectively everything adds up. Why not take the little steps to help?
that’s definitely something I’ve never thought about! I buy a new toothbrush without even thinking about it! I will say that I disinfect my toothbrush every couple of months so it lasts longer.
RhodeyGirl-
It’s true… we tend to be such a buy/discard society that it’s easy to forget about all the little things that add up. Disinfecting is a good idea.