Our Twitter (and offline) Friend & Health Coach Ali Shapiro has a recycling conundrum to address with one of her bathroom essentials:
Good question Ali! You can’t toss those electric toothbrushes in your single-stream recycling bin. We reached out to our Philadelphia recycling sources, who addressed the problem:
Theoretically they should be recyclable along with our #3-7 mixed plastics. Toothbrushes are so small that they will invariably “fall through the cracks” at the MRF. MRFs and their automated sort lines are designed to screen out much larger pieces of plastic (e.g. a yogurt tub on up). Hand sorting of pens, toothbrushes, etc. off of MRF conveyor lines would not only be dangerous, but also impractical in a facility that processes more than 200,000 tons of recyclables each year.
All hope isn’t lost. TDR Recycling in Fremont, California accepts cords, electric toothbrush components and will recycle any electric toothbrushes it receives in the mail. Mail to: TDR Electronic Recycling LLC,44865 Industrial Drive, Fremont, CA 94538. (Address updated 8/2015 thanks to our reader Robert reaching out.)
You can green your toothbrushing by reusing old ones (for cleaning, etc.) or go with a program like Preserve’s toothbrush “subscription”. You receive a new toothbrush every 3 months along with a mail-back pack to return (and recycle) the previous model. Unfortunately they don’t come in electric versions… yet. However, Preserve’s models are 100% recycled #5 plastic, BPA free & made in the USA. Plus, you get sweeeet color choices like grass green, magenta, sky blue or assorted.
Readers, do you have any secret green toothbrush recycling methods?
Photo: Environmental impex
Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke discusses affordability and access to green initiatives in our latest Civic Catalyst…
Let's sail-ebrate the latest changemakers who are moving the region towards a sustainable, equitable place.…
Catch up on the latest sustainability news: Community Farm gets closer to community ownership. The…
Philadelphia residents will not only vote on who will be the next district attorney, but…
Catch up on the latest sustainability news: Transit advocates demand better SEPTA funding. On Tuesday…
Part Two of Every Voice, Every Vote research revealed that Philly takes pride in community…