DANTAisms

On my Facebook, I follow an organization called the “Plastic Pollution Coalition.” They share many different things, talking about which items are recyclable, states that have banned plastic bags (go California!), and other issues regarding plastic use. This past week, they talked toothbrushes.

A toothbrush? Really? I thought to myself. I’ve recycled all my life, and often feel guilty about throwing different plastics in the garbage, but not once had I ever thought about that little plastic brush thing that we are supposed to use twice daily. Think about it: Colgate brand recommends that you replace your toothbrush every three months. That is four toothbrushes a year, into a landfill. Not a big deal, right? That amounts to 300 toothbrushes in our lifetime. The Plastic Pollution Coalition Shared some other interesting facts:

“A single conventional toothbrush weighs approximately 18 grams (.63 oz.)
Each of us will throw away about 12 pounds of plastic toothbrushes in our lifetime
There are 6.8 billion people on the planet
Plastic toothbrush waste generated during our lifetime = 80 billion pounds”

That is a lot of toothbrushes. Underneath these facts, I saw them share something truly remarkable: the world’s first sustainable toothbrush. The people at Goodwell & Company have developed a toothbrush that is a complete hygiene kit, but it isn’t made of plastic. It’s made of bamboo!

Bamboo is an insanely sustainable resource and grows practically everywhere (saw it on the side of the highway in Tennesee), and I get really excited when people come up with new ways to use it. I never in a million years expected to see it as a toothbrush though. The style is simple enough. You pick out the handle, and then you can interchange toothbrush heads, tongue scrapers, and flossers into it. The handle stores things like q-tips or medicines, and apparently coming soon they will also have accelerometers in it that allow you to monitor your brushing habits via a mobile app.

I don’t think I need an app for my toothbrush, but the other items are pretty outstanding. Now, this is’t your run of the mill dollar toothbrush, and it will cost you some cash at first, but considering how much we will ultimately spend on toothbrushes and other non-degradable plastics, I find it worth the investment.

Want to check out the sustainable toothbrush? Click here!

Click here for the Plastic Pollution Coalition’s Facebook Page!

What are your thoughts? Is a sustainable toothbrush worth it? Let us know in the comments below!