So you've made the change to bamboo toothbrushes; that's great! But do you know how to properly recycle them? It is not as simple as just throwing them in your recycling bin or backyard composter.
The bristles in most bamboo toothbrushes are nylon so they are not compostable although they may be recyclable. In order to properly dispose of your toothbrush, you will need to remove these bristles. To do this you can simply pull them out with pliers or snap the head of the toothbrush off and only compost the handle.
The best place to dispose of the toothbrush handle it in an industrial composter. Here it will biodegrade in a few weeks. You can put it in your backyard composter but it will likely take a few months to fully break down. If the toothbrush were to end up in a landfill it would eventually break down but it would take years.
In conclusion, making the change to a bamboo toothbrush is a step in the right direction to lower waste oral care but it is not the final step. In order to get the most out of your bamboo toothbrush, you need to remove the bristles and place the handle in a composter to allow for biodegradation.
Source:
- How to Dispose of a Bamboo Toothbrush Properly: bamwoo-bamboo.com