Plastic toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes play a huge role in environmental degradation. Choose plastic free alternatives.
In the midst of the era that we are living in, going sustainable is the best thing we as citizens of the planet can do. The harm that unsustainable non-bio-degradable products has done is irreplaceable, but we can always start protecting our planet, starting by doing our bits. Going sustainable in oral care is one of the few steps in a long road for the same. Yes indeed, sustainable oral care is the future, and we are happy to see that general audiences are getting aware of the harm that the existing products are doing to our environment, to the air we breathe in, to the food we eat, and to the water we drink.
India has the world’s second largest population and oral care still isn’t a very crucial part of the Indian lifestyle. India’s annual production of toothpaste stands at 141,000 metric tons for the year 2020. At present, about 700 million units of toothbrush are being sold in India and we feel that as more consumers are opting to use the toothbrush as opposed to any other means of brushing, the projected demand for toothbrush units will grow to about 1,700 million units.
These plastic toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes find their way to the landfill and often rains flood them to the rivers and streams which are connected to the ocean. The tubes comprise of various forms of plastics which are extracted from oils, and they are difficult to decompose.
Choose plastic free alternatives
Millions of toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes are thrown in trashes in a year alone in India, think at a global level. What is considered to be such a small FMCG commodity, plays a huge role in environmental degradation. With the popularization of environmentalism and consumer awareness, plastic free alternatives are a growing market and options are popping up everywhere.
Bamboo toothbrushes are a great plastic-free alternative that won’t harm the environment and can be disposed of guilt free. Bamboo is the world’s fastest growing tree and left uncut can actually hinder the growth of other trees that surround it. Using a natural resource made from the earth that is durable, water resistant, antimicrobial, and biodegradable is a great advantage as it won’t be sitting around for 1000 years wasting away and won’t pollute after being disposed of.
Similarly, replacing the plastic toothpaste tube and adopting to new alternatives like, toothpaste tablets that contain no chemical ingredients and requires less water consumption pre brushing process is a brilliant step forward to sustainability.
How hospitality sector can help promote sustainable oral care
The harsh truth of these toothpaste tubes is that recycled plastic of the tubes also has a life of upto 80 years. These HDPE toothpaste tubes might be economical in terms that it cannot be melted and reshaped into a new tube due to shredding of polymers during the melting process, but it can be transformed into a pen or something else.
