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7 Best Eco Friendly Toothbrush Brands For 2023

May 24, 2022 by Sarah

An eco friendly toothbrush made from bamboo in a glass jar. Image copyright The Humble Co via Unsplash.com.

Disclosure: We may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.


Searching for the best eco friendly toothbrush brands to help reduce your carbon footprint?

With most dentists recommending you replace your toothbrush every 3 months, it’s estimated up to 264 million toothbrushes are thrown away each year in the UK alone. Most toothbrushes are also made of plastic, which can take hundreds of years to break down in landfill. Plastic toothbrushes are also hard to recycle, as they contain multiple materials fused together.

So switching to an eco friendly toothbrush made from a sustainable material, such as bamboo, helps reduce this plastic waste. Not only can bamboo decompose in as little as 3-4 months, it’s also a highly sustainable material, as it’s easy to grow & doesn’t require the use of fertilizers.

However, whilst eco friendly toothbrushes are a simple & affordable way to reduce plastic waste, keep in mind that most still contain nylon bristles. Pull these out with pliers & discard or recycle separately.


7 Eco Friendly Toothbrush Brands

1 – Brush With Bamboo

Made from: Bamboo, with bio-based bristles
Best for: Bio-based bristles

This 4 pack of eco friendly toothbrushes from Brush With Bamboo should have you covered for up to a year. Featuring bamboo handles & bio-based bristles ( 62% Castor Bean Oil, 38% plastic), the brush is designed in an ergonomic shape that’s easy to hold. Bristles are soft & the brushes come in compostable plant-based packaging. Not tested on animals.

SHOP BRUSH WITH BAMBOO


2 – The Humble Toothbrush Co

Made from: Bamboo, with nylon bristles
Best for:
Developed by dentists

Professionally developed by dentists, with over 35 million brushes sold, these eco friendly toothbrushes from The Humble Toothbrush Co are made with bamboo & BPA-free nylon bristles. Choose from soft or medium bristles or smaller sized kid’s brushes. A pack contains 5 toothbrushes & for every one sold, a toothbrush or oral care product is donated to a child in need. Packaging is plant based & compostable.

SHOP THE HUMBLE TOOTHBRUSH CO


3 – Battle Green

Made from: Bamboo, with bio-based bristles
Best for:
Bristle recycling service

UK based Battle Green have been offering eco friendly alternatives to single use plastic products since 2018. With an emphasis on zero waste, their whole product range is also vegan friendly. The Battle Green toothbrush is handmade from bamboo & bio-based bristles, which are derived from castor oil. Although renewable, bio-based bristles require industrial composting, so Battle Green give you the option to return your used bristles (or the toothbrush head) to them for recycling. Get in touch with them for more info.

SHOP BATTLE GREEN


4 – Isshah

Made from: Bamboo, with charcoal infused nylon bristles
Best for:
Value for money

With 12 eco friendly toothbrushes in a pack, these biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes from ISSHAH are excellent value. The nylon bristles are infused with charcoal, which has absorbent properties that may help remove stains. Designed under the guidance of dentists, the brushes have soft bristles & labelled with a number from 1 to 12, so you won’t get them mixed up. Packaging is recyclable.

SHOP ISSHAH


5 – Bleeker and Rowe

Made from: Cornstarch, with nylon bristles
Best for:
Bamboo alternative

For an eco alternative to bamboo try Bleeker & Rowe. Their packs of 3, 10 (or 100!) eco friendly toothbrushes are made from a mix of corn starch & corn husk. With a low carbon footprint the brush handles are biodegradable, vegan friendly & cruelty free. Brushes are individually wrapped in recyclable, biodegradable packaging & bristles are made from nylon.

SHOP BLEEKER & ROWE


6 – Jack N Jill Cornstarch Toothbrush

Made from: Corn, with nylon bristles
Best for
? Toddlers/young kids

If it’s an eco friendly toothbrush for kids you’re after, check out the Jack N Jill Dino Toothbrush with its compostable cornstarch handle. Ergonomically designed for small hands, the toothbrush is suitable for baby teeth, toddlers & younger kids. Bristles are soft nylon, but the handle is biodegradable, vegan & GMO-free. Packaging is also biodegradable & made from corn. Jack N Jill also produce a popular range of natural toothpaste for children.

SHOP JACK N JILL


7 – Gaia Guy

Made from: Bamboo, with board hair bristles
Best for:
Fully biodegradable

If nylon or bio-based bristles just don’t cut it or you, Gaia Guy produce a fully biodegradable eco friendly toothbrushe. Handmade with a bamboo handle & boar bristles, this planet friendly toothbrush is completely natural. Don’t be put off by the boar bristles (unless you’re vegan) – some of the very first toothbrushes were made with pig hair, which is naturally soft & biodegradable. Available in packs of 6 in recyclable packaging.

SHOP GAIA GUY


How To Dispose Of A Bamboo (Or Eco) Toothbrush

Any product containing mixed parts can pose a problem when recycling. So whilst investing in an eco friendly bamboo toothbrush is a simple way to reduce plastic waste, keep in mind many contain nylon bristles. These don’t biodegrade well.

So before you place your bamboo toothbrush handle into a recycling bin or your home compost, (or a commercial composting facility if you have one near you), pull the bristles out with a pair of pliers. This is easy to do and should only take you a few moments.

Then discard of the bristles separately in your trash or recycle them into a plastic recycling bin (they’re unlikely to realistically get recycled in a mixed recycling bin due to their small size).

Eco toothbrushes may also contain bio-based bristles. Whilst bio-based plastics are derived from plants & other renewable materials (rather than fossil based, non renewable sources), you should still remove them with pliers & discard separately.

Some brands, such as Battle Green, may also accept bristles back for recycling.

Here’s a guide on how to dispose of a bamboo toothbrush, including some handy recycling ideas.


Eco Friendly Toothbrush FAQS

Still have questions about eco friendly toothbrushes? These might help:

Is There a Biodegradable Toothbrush?

No toothbrush – bamboo, eco friendly, or otherwise, is perfect.

However, toothbrushes made from bamboo are naturally biodegradable, making them an eco friendly alternative to plastic. Even in landfill, bamboo will biodegrade in a few years & break down entirely in time, whereas plastic can take 100s of years, whilst depositing micro plastics into soil & waterways.

Bamboo is also compostable, but keep in mind it will take much longer in a home compost than an industrial one (which get much hotter). If composting at home, you can help speed up the process by breaking the handle into smaller pieces.

Also keep in mind that even toothbrushes made from natural materials such as bamboo, cornstarch or beech wood, generally still contain nylon 6 bristles. Nylon 6 has poor biodegradability, so before you dispose of your bamboo handle, remove the bristles with pliers and discard them separately.

If you want plant based bristles (often termed bio-based), you can opt for bristles made from natural materials such as tapioca and corn (if you can find them). However, tapioca & corn bristles may fray quicker & ultimately not last you very long.

A more common bio-based bristle option (bio-based plastics are derived from plants & other renewable materials) is bristles made from castor oil. Whilst plant based, there’s still a lot of chemical processing involved in making them & they also don’t qualify as ‘biodegradable’. However, it is generally accepted than many bio-based materials contribute less in carbon emissions.

If you can find an eco friendly toothbrush made with boar hair bristles, these are natural & biodegradable. In fact, according to Life Unpacked ‘These bristle are the only bristle than degrade completely into bio available material in a backyard compost & do not require any industrial composting’.

Boar hair bristles won’t appeal to everyone, of course, plus they’re obviously not an option if you’re vegan. It can also hard to know how ethical boar hair harvesting is.

Are Bamboo Toothbrushes Good For Teeth?

Bamboo toothbrushes are designed in a similar way to plastic toothbrushes. The keydifference is that the handle is made from bamboo wood, which is a more sustainable material than plastic.

In fact, some of the oldest known toothbrushes were originally made from natural materials such as bamboo & boar hair.

Colgate recommend that when choosing any toothbrush, bamboo or otherwise, consider the size of the head, the shape of the handle, and the bristles, to make sure it suits your needs.

Are Bamboo Toothbrushes Eco Friendly?

Toothbrushes, made from natural materials such as bamboo or beech wood, are considered more environmentally friendly than plastic versions. Materials such as bamboo are very sustainable to grow & also break down naturally & much quicker than plastic.

However, most eco friendly toothbrushes still contain nylon bristles, so pull these out with pliers once your brush is done & bin the bristles in the trash.

Are Electric Toothbrushes Eco Friendly?

Don’t want to give up your electric toothbrush?

Electric toothbrushes aren’t eco friendly, as they’re not recyclable. However, one thing you can do is opt for an electric toothbrush brand with a rechargeable battery. Rechargeable batteries last for hundreds of re-charges & you can take them to a recycling facility when they’re done.

Some brands also sell heads that can be returned to the company for recycling or you might find these bamboo electric toothbrush replacement heads are compatible with your brush.


Eco Friendly Toothbrush Brands – Conclusion

Switching to an eco friendly toothbrush is an easy way to help reduce plastic waste.

Bamboo toothbrushes are generally the most common alternative to plastic & they’re designed in the same way as any plastic toothbrush.

However, as a more sustainable material, which also biodegrades quicker than plastic, bamboo is considered a more environmentally sound option.

Keep in mind, many eco friendly toothbrushes still contain nylon bristles, so pull these out with pliers when you’re done with your brush & discard them separately.

For a toothbrush that’s fully biodegradable, you’ve also got the option of a toothbrush made from a material like bamboo, with natural boar bristles.


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