Healthcare is one of the largest emitters of carbon in the UK but there are ways you can be more sustainable when caring for your oral health. If we enter our bathrooms, there are floods of plastic containers, tubes and products all to be thrown away and discarded of. Many have been made from non-recyclable materials that were for the purpose of being more convenient to humans yet without any consideration for the environment.
If you research the top brands in dental you can find out there ethos on sustainability and the ways they are acting positively upon these issues. For example, Oral-B who is widely known for taking over the shelves with their electric toothbrushes and products (as recommended by dentists), but use materials that are not the sort of plastics you can throw into your usual recycling bin. You can, however, collect up your old waste and send it back to their facilities to be recycled properly, read more on the programme here. There are other companies providing similar initiatives so it is best to round up the brands you have at home and check via their websites.
Taking a look forward to your future dental care purchases with sustainability in mind, we recommend the below products from sustainable brands, offering alternatives such as plastic-free bamboo and refillable products. Some of our favourite brands include Brushd, Georganics and The White Teeth Box who are sorting us out with all our sustainable health care needs, be sure to check them out.
Here are some great options for you to make a switch to a more sustainable oral morning and nighttime routine!
Toothbrush
The bamboo toothbrush is an easy find, and made from sustainable resources but if you do feel you prefer an electric toothbrush you still have options too. With brands having return schemes in place for you to send used products back to the factories to be disposed of and recycled properly.
Toothpaste
Toothpaste tablets are a very common alternative that dissolves when wet turning into the paste that way instead. Colgate released their Smile Food Good, which is their eco-friendly toothpaste made in a recyclable tube with natural ingredients, we hope other big brands follow in their footsteps.
Dental Floss & Interdental Brushes
We may think this is only a tiny waste but it has a terrible environmental impact and is also bad for your health as they are usually coated with toxic ingredients. These easy swaps make a huge difference.
Mouthwash
Mouthwash can also be found in tablet form to pop in your mouth to rinse. Some brands offer refillable services where you can return the bottle and have it topped up which usually is at a discounted rate from the original purchase.
Dental Kits
Ready to give it a go, why not make the swaps all at once? These amazing dental care brands are offering sustainable kits to get you started with all the essentials you will need and extra goodies.
Make sure you check out how and where to recycle your old products too!