Why Plastic Toothbrush Is A Threat?

Ordering food, going grocery shopping in a supermarket, eating instant food, buying beauty products, or shopping from fashion giants generates tons of plastic waste. Ordinary plastic toothbrushes are the second-largest source of plastic waste after plastic bags as they are not recyclable since tiny parts get stuck in the machinery. The majority of us will replace 280- 300 toothbrushes during our lifetime and, every toothbrush you and I have ever used is sitting on our planet somewhere. Every year around 4.7 billion toothbrushes land in the landfill that takes over 200–700 years to decompose.

In India, more than 150 million plastic toothbrushes are thrown into the garbage every month.

As per foreo, every year in USA alone, more than 1 billion toothbrushes are thrown away.

Did You Know?

If you laid out all the plastic toothbrushes thrown away in the U.S. just a year, they would wrap around the Earth four times.

Our day begins with a toothbrush in hand but do you know the history of the toothbrush?

THE STORY OF TOOTHBRUSH

Around 3000 B.C., Babylonians chewed twigs with frayed ends to clean their teeth. During the 17th and 18th centuries, toothbrushes were considered luxury items. Due to a shortage of craftspersons, synthetic heads and handles became popular, replacing toothbrushes made of horsehair and bone.

Celluloid plastic brush handles made their appearance during World War I and, once Dupont invented nylon, brushes with bristles made of nylon made their way in 1938.

A plastic toothbrush is a combination of rubber, polypropylene derived from crude oil, and a mix of plastic and cardboard for the packaging. Making plastic dough by loading and melting tiny granules of plastic into a large steel pan called a vat is the first step to make a toothbrush. Machine moulding of the dough into the shape of the handle with holes at one end for the bristles is the next step.

Sometimes, different colours of plastic and rubber may be moulded onto the plastic to help you keep a grip! The next step is sorting handles so that they’re all facing the same way, with their holes upwards ready for their bristles, made by pulling long strands of nylon into thin fibres. A machine then cuts them to the right length and pats them down to ensure they’re all equal.

The bristles are folded in half and poked into each hole. A tiny staple is pushed over the fold and into the base of the brush. The toothbrushes are then ready to be placed in their packets.

THE PLASTIC MENACE

It is not merely the disposal of the brushes that is the issue but also the manufacturing process for plastic toothbrushes that contains a myriad of harmful plastic by-products, petroleum and crude oil! They remain in landfills indefinitely and, as they settle into the landfill, they release chemicals into the air. The result is even more damage to the environment.

When plastic burns, they emit some nasty chemicals and, it gives off an unpleasant smell; it spews oddly coloured flames, and the smoke makes you want to reach for the nearest gas mask. Burning plastic contributes to acid rains.

Plastic toothbrushes being non-biodegradable, find their way to waterways and oceans. Plenty of this plastic breaks down into tiny pieces. Ingesting these pieces by marine life can cause pollution and threat to marine life since the toxins from the plastics end up in the stomachs of animals (like endangered turtles) or on shorelines. One could even end up in your meal.

You will be surprised to know that every toothbrush produced since 1938 still exists somewhere on the planet.

SWITCH TO ALTERNATIVE

While plastic toothbrushes can be extremely harmful to the environment, there is an alternative that can help reduce the damage. Toothbrushes made of bamboo are a renewable alternative that has the added benefit of being 100% biodegradable and hence, has a considerably smaller ecological footprint compared to plastic.

Unlike wood, bamboo is a member of the grass family. It regenerates, regrowth, and spreads much quicker than trees. Certain varieties can grow to full size in just 3–4 months. Additionally, bamboo needs little care and may thrive without fertilizer or pesticides.

Bamboo is an ideal replacement for plastic toothbrush handles since, like plastic, bamboo is sturdy yet light in weight. Due to its durability and hardness, bamboo is also called “Green Steel”.

Moreover, bamboo is naturally antimicrobial; this means that your toothbrush will not be at risk for growing all kinds of nasty bacteria. Properties within the bamboo stalks themselves naturally prevent bacteria from growing on the bamboo surface. It makes bamboo an ideal material for personal hygiene products like a toothbrush.

Read more about bamboo here.

The best eco-friendly toothbrush would be any toothbrush made with a bamboo handle and 100% bio-based or 100% plant-based bristles. But given the current limitations of technology, the bamboo toothbrush manufacturers still prefer nylon bristles and, these are safe for the user.

The dentists recommend replacing the toothbrush every three months. Plucking out the bristles at the time of disposal and composting the handle is the best way to discard them.

CONCLUSION

Companies and manufacturers are slowly investing in plastic alternatives derived from natural sources such as bamboo handles for the toothbrush and starch or cellulose for packaging. Consequently, many individuals have started using bamboo toothbrushes in the last couple of years since they are now more easily obtainable. Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on earth and is naturally antibacterial. Therefore, it makes a substantial renewable material for toothbrushes.

Reduce the impact on the environment by using your used manual plastic toothbrush for household cleaning to scrub floors, faucets, drains, or polish rings and other jewellery.

If you think plastic toothbrushes are a matter of the past and want to move into a greener future, buy a bamboo toothbrush right away.