The toothbrush is an essential part of our daily routine. A toothbrush made out of plastic has been designed to last forever but have you ever wondered what happens to it once it is tossed in the trash every three to four months?
If not recycled, the plastic often ends up polluting the landfills, sewage systems, and eventually the ocean. If you do the math, that is approximately 3.6m brushes being discarded every year, only in Mauritius!
And here is what they are all doing to our health and environment:
To begin with, the greatest impact of the plastic toothbrush is that they end up polluting our oceans and our food. This is because once they start decomposing, micro plastics are released and is often consumed by our marine life as they are mistaken as food.
In addition, despite the usefulness of a plastic toothbrush, they are made from harmful chemicals such as Crude Oil which over time can have great impact on our health and should be used carefully.
When discarded in landfill, it does not disappear any time soon and it is believed that it might take up to 400 years for the plastic toothbrush to fully decompose, meaning that the first brush ever made still exists today. If this statement is correct just imagine how many plastic toothbrushes are polluting our planet at date.
Moreover, the electric toothbrush also is a greater pollutant as it does not only create plastic pollution but they even leak toxins into the environment. With the use of batteries, if not disposed correctly, can cause terrible damage due to the acid from the batteries poisoning our waterways and eventually the ocean.
All to all, we are all fighting the new powerful enemy of the environment which is plastic. We encourage people to think twice about the huge consequences that such a small object can have to the environment.
Consider making the switch to a bamboo toothbrush. Here at Ecolife, our bamboo toothbrush is manufactured using sustain-ably farmed bamboo and oral-grade nylon, definitely a 'greener' alternative as the packaging and the handle are both 100% biodegradable! 🌱
Have you made this change yet? Let us know what you think!
Together for a better world 🌎