In my previous post I explained what Zero Waste means and how to start changing your habits a bit in general, now let’s get to the specifics with a first super simple thing to do.
I want to start with a seemingly insignificant product that we all use from childhood to old age, every day of our lives: the toothbrush!
Have you ever wondered how many toothbrushes you used so far? I sometimes thought about it and I tried to do some math.
I do not know exactly when I started using the toothbrush, but I remember that in kindergarten brushing my teeth was a daily ritual, so I think I was at least 3 years old. Dentists recommend changing the toothbrush every 3 months, but I’m lazy and I’m sure to use it longer, about for 4 months. Therefore I probably use an average of 3 toothbrushes a year.
Today I am almost 32 years old, so I have been brushing my teeth for at least 29 years of my life.
We arrive at the result: 29 x 3 = 87.
How much plastic did I actually throw away with all these toothbrushes? Keeping in mind that one of them weighs about 25 grams, here’s what: 25 g x 87 = 2175 grams, that is more than 2 kilos (4.4 pounds).
It doesn’t seem much, does it? However, I have not turned 32 yet and I am only one person… but on Earth at the moment we are more than 7 billion people!
If the world was populated by 7 billion 32-year-olds like me, every year on average we would waste 525,000 tons of plastic … as if 9 Titanics of toothbrushes would sink into the sea every year!
Are you a little upset now?
One day, going around the supermarket, I found by chance toothbrushes with removable heads. These help drastically reducing plastic waste since the handle can last many years.
I was so happy I immediately bought one and used it until I came across an even better alternative: the bamboo toothbrush, with charcoal bristles, 100% biodegradable!
This means that, when it’s time to change your toothbrush, it can be thrown into the compost bin, or buried in the garden and over time it will become part of nature again!
I feel very comfortable with these bamboo toothbrushes, I love them. The bristles are of medium hardness and they do not irritate the gums. I hope to find them soon also in shops, but in the meantime, I bought a family-pack online and it arrived in a cardboard box, which I will recycle at home to create my recycled paper!
And the first change is done! Super easy, don’t you think? 🙂
