Plastic toothbrushes might seem like a convenient and affordable option, but they come with a hidden cost to the environment. In this blog, I'm going to show you the effect of plastic toothbrushes on our environment, how your plastic toothbrushes are part of the plastic crisis, and outline what you can do to reduce your environmental impact.
0:00 - Introduction
1:15 - How Does Your Plastic Toothbrush Become Part Of The Plastic Crisis?
2:55 - What Is The Impact Of Plastic Toothbrush On Our Environment?
4:59 - The Eco-Friendly Solution
6:19 - Quick Takeaway
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The Problem With Plastic Toothbrush
Did you ever wonder why plastic toothbrush is bad? How can a small item that we use every single day have a negative effect on our environment?
The total number of plastic toothbrushes being produced, used, and thrown away every single year has grown steadily since the first one was made in the 1930s.
Fun Fact: 99% of all toothbrushes in the world are made from plastic, and about 5 billion of these plastic toothbrushes are being thrown away every single year around the world.
Did you ever think of the impact these plastic toothbrushes have on our environment? From ending up in landfill to becoming part of giant islands of floating plastic, these everyday items can cause a lot of damage.
Plastic toothbrushes might seem like a convenient and affordable option, but they come with a hidden cost to the environment. In this blog, I'm going to show you the effect of plastic toothbrushes on our environment, how your plastic toothbrushes are part of the plastic crisis, and outline what you can do to reduce your environmental impact.
How Does Your Plastic Toothbrush Become Part Of The Plastic Crisis?
The first problem with plastic toothbrushes is production. Toothbrush design has evolved, and the most significant difference compared to its earliest form is the materials.
Fun Fact: Plastic 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)
The second problem with using a plastic toothbrush is disposal. When you throw away your plastic toothbrush, it doesn't magically disappear. Instead, your plastic will be sent to a landfill—where it could take up to 1,000 years to break down.
What about Electric Toothbrush? Well, electric toothbrushes are also made of plastic and rubber. And if the batteries that power these electric toothbrushes aren't disposed of properly, Overtime, these batteries leak out acid to the environment, which will potentially cause harm to the environment.
Summary: 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. Plastic toothbrush is obviously made out of plastic, which takes about 1000 years to degrade. It often remains in the landfill forever, but when a plastic toothbrush makes its way into our environment, it doesn't decompose. It can break down into a smaller piece of plastic, but often animals mistake them for food.
What Is The Impact Of Plastic Toothbrush On Our Environment?
Over the past few years, I had interviewed hundreds of environmentalists, read plenty of books related to the environment, and here what I learn.
The biggest problem we are facing right now is plastic. Plastic is polluting our ocean, impacting our biodiversity, and affecting our human health.
According toNational Geographic, every toothbrush that's been produced since the 1930s are still exists on this planet. Many of these are broken down into small pieces of plastic (where animals and marine creatures mistake them for food), which scientists name microplastics.
The Problem With Plastic Toothbrush
- Plastic toothbrushes are not biodegradable
- Plastic toothbrushes are not recyclable
- Plastic toothbrushes are harmful to the environment
- More plastic for the packaging around the toothbrush
Fun Fact: Plastic toothbrush is one of the top contributors to plastic waste in our oceans today, about 4.7 million toothbrushes end up in our oceans every single year.
And even worse? Plastic toothbrushes make up a huge portion of beach litter too. Now, in any given Hawaii beach cleanup, it's not uncommon to pick up 20 or even 100 toothbrushes.
Summary: It's no surprise that plastic toothbrushes are one of the contributors to the plastic crisis. Not only does its drains the oil supply, but plastic toothbrush are also polluting our ocean, and harming the wildlife. The modern plastic toothbrush is un-recyclable, and never fully biodegrade. They'll just degrade into smaller microplastics, where marine life and birds can mistake them for food (Can you imagine having pieces of plastic stuck inside an animal stomach?... google it, it happen every day)
The Eco-Friendly Solution
What's the first thing you touch in the morning? It's probably your plastic toothbrush.
Do you really want the first thing you put in your mouth every day to be plastic?
While plastic toothbrushes can be very harmful to the environment, there is an alternative that can help reduce the damage being done.
Switching to a Bamboo Toothbrush is properly one of the most affordable ways you can take to reduce your plastic consumption.
Bamboo a natural and sustainable material, it's fast-growing, plant-based, and 100% biodegradable. With is the ideal choice to replace the plastic toothbrush.
Fun Fact: According to Guinness World Records, Bamboo is the fastest-growing bamboo plant in the world, and because of how fast they grow, it is a sustainable resource.
If you want to change your routine, consider swapping out your plastic toothbrush for a bamboo one. Bamboo is a sustainable resource, biodegradable and non-toxic.
Summary: The average person uses around 300 toothbrushes in their lifetime. So make sure your toothbrush is plastic free! And if you want to move into a greener future, buy a bamboo toothbrush right away.
Quick Takeaway
In a world increasingly aware of the damage that plastic is doing to our environment, it's easy to wonder why you even use a plastic toothbrush at all.
About 5 billion plastic toothbrushes are being thrown away every year, and almost all of them are unrecyclable. Using plastic toothbrush not only drains the oil supply, but it's also polluting our ocean and harming the wildlife. Thousands of wildlife animals are killed every year due to ingesting plastic.
So if you don't want your bathroom accessory to be responsible for polluting our planet any more than it already is, it's time to switch up your brushing habits with an eco-friendly alternative like bamboo! Also, switching to using a bamboo toothbrush is properly one of the most affordable ways for you to reduce your plastic consumption.
