Benefits of a Bamboo Toothbrush
Americans throw out more than one billion toothbrushes a year. If you laid these toothbrushes end to end, they would circle the Earth four times! Most of us will individually throw away 300 toothbrushes in a lifetime. In 450 years, these toothbrushes may eventually biodegrade.
We can do so much better than this. Sustainable oral care is forecasted to rise considerably in the coming years, as more and more people adopt a zero-waste lifestyle. Until now, you may not have considered that non-plastic toothbrushes exist. Below, consider the many benefits of bamboo toothbrushes.
Bamboo Is A Fast-Growing Natural Resource
Bamboo is grown naturally, without added chemicals or pesticides. As one of the fastest-growing plants in the world, bamboo grows up to one meter per day. Bamboo can be harvested in one to five years, depending on the species. Once harvested, a new shoot will spring up, without the need for replanting and without causing soil erosion. It can grow easily, anywhere in the world.
It’s Naturally Antimicrobial.
Like cutting boards and kitchen utensils, bamboo is selected for use in dental care for its natural antimicrobial properties, discouraging harmful bacteria from penetrating its surface. By contrast, conventional toothbrushes can harbor up to 10 billion microbes at any given time!
You Don’t Need Refined Oil to Make It.
Manufacturing plastic toothbrushes requires the use of non-renewable refined oil. The manufacture of nylon creates the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide, which is 310 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Constructing a bamboo toothbrush uses no nylon and no oil, and therefore has a lower carbon footprint.
Save Marine Life When You Brush.
An estimated 50 to 80 percent of the litter in the oceans is comprised of plastic. It’s not uncommon for a beachcomber to pick up 18 toothbrushes in one afternoon walk along the Hawaiian coastline. A whopping 90 percent of sea birds have plastic in their bellies. Plastic also makes a demonstrable difference in the fertility and survivability of fish offspring.
You Can Compost It When You’re Done.
When you’re done with a bamboo toothbrush, use a pair of strong pliers to slip the bristles out and discard. Simply place the bamboo handle it in your backyard compost. For best results, crack it up into pieces with a hammer. In six months, it will be gone!
Start Your Day Off Right with Mother Nature
Do you want the first thing you touch every day to be made of plastic? Is that really you? A plastic toothbrush contradicts other lifestyle choices, such as switching from plastic coffee cups to a reusable mug, abandoning drinking straws, bringing reusable shopping bags to the store, and biking to work. A bamboo toothbrush may be one of the missing pieces of your healthy, eco-conscious lifestyle.
Terra and Co.’s top-selling biodegradable bamboo charcoal toothbrush contains medium-soft, BPA-free bristles infused with activated charcoal to double the teeth-whitening effect. Check us out to learn more.
