Sustainable toothbrushes are now a preferred option for many as they are eco-friendly and are just as effective as their unsustainable counterparts.
Neda and bamboo toothbrushes are now taking center stage on the market. A few years back, plastic toothbrushes dominated the market, as many people weren’t aware of the risk they pose to the environment.
Right now a lot more people have a clear picture of how the billions of plastic toothbrushes that are thrown away yearly affect the environment.
The question most people ask these days is -which toothbrush is most sustainable? This article is going to unveil some of the best sustainable toothbrushes on the market.
Before we dive right into that we are first going to look at what makes a toothbrush sustainable.
What makes a toothbrush sustainable?
Sustainable toothbrushes are made from sustainable materials like recycled plastic and bamboo. Everything from their packaging to their replacement parts is made with materials that can be recycled.
Note that the most sustainable toothbrushes on the market aren’t the most effective for oral care.
The 3 Most Sustainable Toothbrushes
Fairly sustainable toothbrush -Electric toothbrush
Electric toothbrushes have a lot of parts. This means that its manufacturing process is a lot more complicated than that of a plastic and bamboo toothbrush.
Electric toothbrushes aren’t really a great choice when it comes to sustainability as most of their parts cannot be recycled. Everything from its batteries and wires to its plastic and nylon parts cannot be recycled. What’s worse is that separating the few parts of the unit that are recyclable is very difficult.
While electric toothbrushes may have a longer life span (3-5 years) than plastic toothbrushes, it is worth noting that they are just as bad as them when it comes to sustainability. You see, the heads of electric toothbrushes which are disposed of every 3 months are also sent to landfills.
The most sustainable toothbrushes- Bamboo toothbrush
Bamboo toothbrushes may look and work like plastic toothbrushes, but they aren’t the same. Bamboo toothbrushes are made from a sustainable material (bamboo plant). The bamboo plant grows very quickly (24 inches in a day).
Needless to say, bamboo toothbrushes are effective and sustainable. But they aren’t 100% eco-friendly. You see, the bristles that are attached to the handles of bamboo toothbrushes are made from nylon. Nylon bristles are great for cleaning teeth but aren’t good for the environment.
Bamboo toothbrushes that are 100% sustainable have bristles made from castor bean oil and boar hair. So before choosing a bamboo toothbrush, it is important that you check if its bristles are made from a natural and eco-friendly material.
After you are done using a bamboo toothbrush you can choose to reuse it for other purposes or you can recycle it. Bamboo toothbrushes are biodegradable. So if you throw them into a compost pit or a composter, they will decay completely in 3 months. However, if you just toss them in your garden it will take about 7-10 years for them to completely decompose.
The 2nd best sustainable toothbrushes -Neda Toothbrush-
Neda toothbrushes were designed to reduce plastic waste. Their handles are made from aluminum, a sturdy material.
The energy required to make them may be higher than bamboo and plastic toothbrushes, but it isn’t as high as electric toothbrushes. So we can say that they are fairly sustainable.
Neda toothbrushes have a detachable head that you can replace every 3 months. Unlike the head of electric toothbrushes that cannot be recycled, the Neda toothbrush head can be recycled. You can choose to contact the company you bought the toothbrush from to recycle it for you or you can send it to an industrial composter.
Final note
There you have it, the most sustainable toothbrushes on the market. So if you are really serious about protecting the environment, you should choose either a bamboo or a Neda toothbrush. Electric toothbrushes are also great, but they aren’t very eco-friendly and sustainable.