Toothbrushes

Every single piece of plastic that has ever been made is still on the planet today. It’s staggering when you think about it. Then think about the amount of toothbrushes you've used and thrown away in your life, they're all still here! The problem is that the organisms that normally break down organic matter don’t recognise plastic – so they don’t know what to do with it! As plastic was only invented at the beginning of the 20^th century, no one can know for certain how long it truly takes to decompose, but it is estimated that the majority of plastics will take 100s to 1000s of years to degrade. Most of it ends up in a landfill, but a large proportion also makes its way into the ocean. There it undergoes a process called photo-degradation, essentially being broken down into tiny pieces by sunlight. Unfortunately, though, just because we can no longer see it, it doesn’t mean it’s gone, it’s just turned in to minute toxic chemicals that poison sea life, and perhaps us too. 

Those of us who watched Blue Planet will remember the heart-breaking footage of a whale carrying her dead calf, thought to have died due to plastic poisoning. It’s estimated that over 100 000 marine mammals are killed by plastic pollution every year. But there’s also evidence that micro plastics are consumed by animals much lower down the food chain, and part of others that humans are at the top of.

One such micro plastic is BPA. It’s not clear how BPA affects humans, though organisations like the FDA say that health risks of such are negligible, some studies have linked them to endocrine disorders and even cancer. There is no firm evidence, and from my limited research it appears to be quite a controversial subject, but seeing as plastic is still a relatively new material, the amounts of which are ever increasing, how can we really know for sure the affect it’s having on our health?

The problem is plastic is absolutely everywhere. Take a walk through a supermarket and it’s easy to become overwhelmed with it all, it seems inescapable. That’s why I’m advocating for making changes one step at a time, and trying that myself, in the hope that those small changes ultimately become big ones.

© Alejandro Durán

One very easy way to swap throwaway plastic out of our lives is by switching to a bamboo toothbrush.  This week I composted my first bamboo toothbrush and it felt brilliant to know that I hadn’t further contributed to the plastic problem, even if it was in a very small way! Unfortunately bamboo toothbrushes are not readily available in high street stores, but we have the power as consumers to change this, where we choose to spend our money is very important to retailers! A lot of independent sellers on Ebay and Amazon have caught on to the idea, however, so bamboo toothbrushes are pretty easy to get hold of.

When it comes to choice of bamboo brands, as far as I can tell they’re all pretty similar. The thing to look out for is what the bristles are made of, as some are made of boar’s hair. First of all, this is gross. Secondly, it’s cruel. Unfortunately, though, we have yet to discover a better way to make toothbrushes totally biodegradable, so the majority of bamboo brushes have nylon bristles. This means we have to pull the bristles out before we compost them (or put them in the garden waste bin). Still, it’s a lot better than a whole toothbrush! I’ve used a brand on Ebay called BambooPin, I would definitely recommend them. Two toothbrushes come packaged in a cardboard box, so produce minimal waste (I got some bamboo toothbrushes in my stocking this Christmas that came wrapped in plastic!), and the bristles are made of Nylon.

Bamboo toothbrushes are a bit softer than plastic, but my dentist is always telling me to use a softer brush so it works for me. When you consider that every single plastic toothbrush you’ve ever used is still on the planet today, switching to bamboo is a no-brainer!

References

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jul/21/bpa-exposure-hormone-disrupting-fda-missouri-study-bisphenol-endocrine

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/08/ocean-life-eats-plastic-larvaceans-anchovy-environment/

https://www.plantingpeace.org