The Problem With Plastic Toothbrush

Have you ever wondered why plastic toothbrushes are bad for the environment? How can such a small item, which we use to brush our teeth every single day, be a major source contributing to plastic pollution?

Since the first one was made in the 1930s, the total number of plastic toothbrushes being produced, used, and thrown away every single year has grown exponentially. Have you ever considered how billions of these toothbrushes are affecting our environment?

Despite being an affordable and convenient option to clean our teeth, they come with a hidden cost. Made from a mix of petroleum-based plastic components, they are unrecyclable and do not biodegrade. Once discarded, they can sit in landfills for centuries or break down into microplastics that pollute our oceans and harm wildlife.

But what makes this issue even more alarming is how often toothbrushes are replaced. Since all dental professionals are encouraging us to switch toothbrushes every three to four months, a single person can throw away hundreds of plastic toothbrushes over their lifetime. (Also, don't forget to multiply that by 8 billion people!)

That is why in this blog post, we will take a closer look at why plastic toothbrushes are bad for the environment, how they contribute to the global plastic crisis, and outline what simple changes you can make to reduce your environmental impact

How Does Your Plastic Toothbrush Become Part Of The Plastic Crisis?

The first major issue with plastic toothbrushes starts at production. Decades ago, toothbrushes were commonly made from natural materials such as bamboo or bone. Today, however, the vast majority of toothbrushes are made from a mix of plastic materials that combine elements of rubber, crude oil, and petroleum. (A bad mix to put in your mouth every day!)

Fun Fact: According to National Geographic, 99% of all toothbrushes in the world are made from plastic. So when you multiply the average person uses around 300 in their lifetime by the billions of people on Earth, it creates a mountain of indestructible waste that will outlast us all.

The second problem with using a plastic toothbrush is disposal. When you throw away your plastic toothbrush, it doesn't magically disappear. They are typically sent straight to landfills to slowly fragment into smaller and smaller pieces of plastic. (A plastic toothbrush can take up to 1,000 years to break down!)

What About Electric Toothbrush? Well, electric toothbrushes are made of plastic and rubber. On top of that, they also contain electronic components and batteries. If these batteries are not disposed of properly, they can leak toxic chemicals and acids into the environment, contaminating soil and water and causing even greater harm.

Plastic waste is one of our planet's biggest environmental crises. This is because plastic takes too long to degrade, and we're creating so much of it. They often remain in the landfill forever, but when a plastic toothbrush makes its way into our environment, it doesn't decompose. It either lingers as large debris or breaks down into smaller pieces of plastic, where animals often mistake them for food.

Summary: Plastic toothbrushes are obviously made out of plastic, which can take up to 1000 years to degrade. Combined with our throwaway culture and frequent replacement habits, this everyday item can create a very toxic legacy for our present and future generations.

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How Many Toothbrushes Are Being Thrown Away Every Year?

Every morning, hundreds of millions (if not billions) of people reach for their trusty toothbrush to clean their teeth. It’s a habit so normal that most of us never stop to think about what happens to our toothbrush once it’s worn out. Unfortunately, the convenience of plastic toothbrushes comes with a massive environmental cost.

Fun Fact: The American Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months. If everyone around the world followed this advice, an estimated 23 billion plastic toothbrushes would get trashed annually.

Estimates may vary, but the numbers paint a pretty clear picture:

• United States: According to National Geographic, Americans will throw away 1 billion toothbrushes this year, which generates around 50 million pounds of waste. To put that into perspective, if you laid those toothbrushes from end to end, they would wrap around the Earth 4 times!
• Globally: The numbers are even more concerning on the worldwide scale, with some reports suggesting over 5 to 23 billion of these plastic toothbrushes are being thrown away every single year around the world. That's enough to circle the Earth more than 20 times annually!

According to WWF, around 3.5 billion toothbrushes are sold globally every single year, and that number is expected to keep growing as the world’s population increases and dental care becomes more accessible in developing countries.

But many of these discarded toothbrushes don’t end up in landfills; they also contribute to marine pollution and threaten wildlife. Plastic toothbrushes are one of the top contributors to plastic waste in our oceans today, with many reports suggesting 4.7 million toothbrushes end up in our oceans every single year.

Summary: While it is difficult to pinpoint an exact number, we know that billions of plastic toothbrushes are discarded worldwide every single year. Most end up in landfills, while millions make their way into rivers and oceans, where they can persist for centuries.

Photo: © Kamchatka via canva.com

What Is The Impact Of Plastic Toothbrush On Our Environment?

Over the past few years, extensive research and reports have made one thing painfully clear: plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats we face today. It is contaminating our oceans, disrupting ecosystems, harming wildlife, and even making its way into the human food chain.

According to National Geographic, every single plastic toothbrush that's been produced since the 1930s still exists on this planet. (Nearly a century ago!) Instead of fully decomposing, these plastic toothbrushes often break down into smaller fragments known as microplastics, which many animals and marine creatures mistake for food.

The Problem With Plastic Toothbrush

• Non-recyclable: Plastic toothbrushes are typically made from a mix of plastic materials that are small and hard to separate. This combination makes them almost impossible to recycle. (Leading them to be sorted as waste and sent to landfills or incinerators instead!)
• Non-biodegradable: A plastic toothbrush is not biodegradable and can take up to 1,000 years to decompose.
• Plastic pollution: Discarded toothbrushes contribute directly to landfill overflow and marine pollution. With a lifespan of about 3 months, the plastic toothbrush you use will remain on Earth for centuries.
• Excess packaging: On top of the toothbrush itself, most plastic toothbrushes also come wrapped with additional plastic packaging. (compounding the problem!)

Fun Fact: To highlighting just how frequently these plastic toothbrushes escape waste systems and end up in marine environments, according to the same report from the National Geographic, in any given Hawaii beach cleanup, it's not uncommon to pick up 20 or even 100 toothbrushes!

Summary: Not only does it drain the oil supply, but plastic toothbrushes are also polluting our ocean and harming wildlife. The modern plastic toothbrush is unrecyclable and never fully biodegrades, they'll just break into smaller microplastics, where marine life and birds often mistake them for food. (Can you imagine having pieces of plastic stuck inside an animal's stomach?... Google it, it happens every day!)

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The Eco-Friendly Solution!

What's the first thing you touch in the morning? For most of us, it's probably our toothbrush.

Now take a moment to think about that. Do you really want the first thing you put in your mouth every day to be plastic?

While plastic toothbrushes might seem harmless, they’re actually part of a much bigger plastic pollution crisis. But here’s the good news: there’s a simple, affordable, and eco-friendly alternative that can help reduce the damage being done to our environment.

Switching to a bamboo toothbrush is probably one of the most affordable ways you can take to reduce your plastic consumption. Unlike their plastic counterparts, bamboo is a natural and sustainable material that is fast-growing, plant-based, and 100% biodegradable. (Which is the ideal choice to replace the plastic toothbrush!)

Fun Fact: According to Guinness World Records, bamboo is the fastest-growing plant in the world, and it can regrow naturally after being cut down.

Again, the average person uses around 300 toothbrushes in their lifetime. So make sure your toothbrush is eco-friendly. And by embracing sustainable practices, we can ensure that our daily oral hygiene routine doesn't come at the expense of our planet's health.

Summary: Don't want your oral hygiene to pollute our planet? Then ditch your plastic toothbrush for an eco-friendly bamboo toothbrush today. Made out of bamboo, they are a natural and biodegradable material that helps reduce plastic waste output and promotes a cleaner, healthier environment!

Quick Takeaway

So what exactly is the problem, and how can you actually make a difference?

Plastic toothbrushes, despite seeming small and convenient, contribute significantly to plastic pollution. About 5 to 23 billion plastic toothbrushes are being thrown away every year, and almost all of them are unrecyclable.

Using plastic toothbrushes not only drains the oil supply, but they also pollute our ocean and kill millions of wildlife animals every single year. They contribute to resource depletion, landfill overflow, and microplastic pollution.

As awareness around plastic pollution continues to grow, it's easy to wonder why you even use a plastic toothbrush at all. So if you don't want your bathroom accessory to be responsible for polluting our planet any more than it already does, it's time to switch up your brushing habits with an eco-friendly alternative like bamboo!

Frequently Asked Questions Related To Problems With Plastic Toothbrush:

Question #1: Why are plastic toothbrushes bad?

Answer: Plastic toothbrushes can be bad and harmful in many ways. To our environment, they are neither biodegradable nor recyclable, and often leach harmful chemicals into the environment. To our health, they could be leaching off chemicals into your mouth while brushing.

Question #2: How long does it take for a plastic toothbrush to decompose?

Answer: Plastic toothbrushes are made from petroleum, a non-biodegradable material, which means they cannot be broken down by bacteria or other organisms. As a result, plastic toothbrushes can take hundreds of years to fully decompose in landfills.

Question #3: How many plastic toothbrushes are thrown away each year around the world?

Answer: We still don't have the exact number of how many plastic toothbrushes that are being thrown away every single year globally. However, the estimated range is between 5 to 23 billion plastic toothbrushes!

Question #4: What are the alternatives to plastic toothbrushes?

Answer: Bamboo toothbrushes are considered to be a great alternative because they are just as effective as plastic toothbrushes at cleaning your teeth. Also, they are made from bamboo, the fastest-growing plant in the world that is sustainable and biodegradable.

Question #5: Are plastic toothbrushes recyclable?

Answer: No. Plastic toothbrushes are typically made from multiple fused materials, such as polypropylene handles, nylon bristles, and rubber grips. This makes them extremely difficult to recycle. So as a result, local recycling facilities do not accept them.