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Eco-friendly products to replace your plastic toothbrush
Manca has been testing baby products, health gadgets and gardening power tools for almost four years, weeding out the weak and recommending the strong
Our oral care routines contribute tonnes of packaging materials to landfill each year, from plastic manual toothbrushes to electric toothbrush heads.
If you're looking for products with less plastic to make your oral hygiene routine more environmentally friendly, we've investigated a range of options.
We've recently tested SURI 2.0, an electric toothbrush that claims to be leaps ahead of electric toothbrush rivals when it comes to its green credentials.
You can also buy non-plastic manual toothbrushes and manual toothbrushes with replaceable heads. Find out more about your options below.
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What is the SURI electric toothbrush?
SURI (short for Sustainable Rituals) has released two sonic electric toothbrushes, the SURI 1.0 and SURI 2.0, which prioritise sustainability and aim to significantly reduce plastic waste.
The original SURI 1.0 is still on sale. SQUIRREL_TEXT_50001417.
The newer SURI 2.0 is a bit more expensive and costs £85, or £105 including UV travel case. SQUIRREL_TEXT_50025772.
SURI toothbrushes are on the expensive side when you compare their features with similarly priced alternatives, but they have more environmentally friendly credentials in their favour, including:
- Accessible and repairable inner workings Currently those repairs can only be carried out by SURI (tinker yourself and you’ll invalidate the warranty).
- Non-plastic brush head and brush handle The brush head is made of sustainably sourced cornstarch, the bristles are from castor oil, and the brush handle is aluminium to reduce plastic waste.
- Travel case charger with UV-C light SURI says the light kills 99.9% of bacteria on the brush head in one minute.
- Two-minute interval timer This useful function tells you when you've brushed for the dentist-recommended two minutes and prompts you to switch to a different section of your mouth every 30 seconds to ensure an even clean. It automatically turns off after two minutes to conserve battery life.
- Recyclable and compostable packaging Minimally packaged with materials that can be easily recycled or composted.
- 100-day money-back guarantee A reassuring chance to try it and see if you like it. You also get a one-year warranty, in case you encounter any issues with it. That's shorter than the two-year warranty you get with Oral-B and Philips Sonicare electric toothbrushes, though.
Manual toothbrushes made from natural materials
If you're not prepared to fork out for a pricey electric toothbrush just yet, these manual toothbrushes are eco-friendly alternatives.
Bamboo toothbrushes
These are becoming more widely available, and you should be able to find a good selection to pick from, whether you're shopping online or on the high street.
Plenty of companies, such as Brushbox, The Humble Co and The Truthbrush, offer subscription services, too, so you can have a fresh bamboo toothbrush delivered to your door every couple of months or so.
If you're looking to buy a bamboo toothbrush in a shop, you'll have more luck finding them in independent health stores or bigger shops, such as Holland & Barrett and Whole Foods, than in the major supermarkets.
But that's beginning to change. Colgate has released its own charcoal bamboo toothbrush, which is available in most supermarkets, including Tesco, and costs around £4.
Wisdom also has a bamboo toothbrush that can be found in Boots (£3). The Renew Bamboo has 100% plant-based filaments, adding to its eco-friendly credentials.
Cornstarch toothbrushes
Cornstarch toothbrushes are an alternative to bamboo toothbrushes, although you won't find many companies making them just yet.
The Natural Family Co has biodegradable and compostable adult-sized options. A pack with two toothbrushes costs around £7, and you'll find them online at Ocado and in independent health stores. They're made from 100% cornstarch, so they can be composted once the nylon bristles are removed.
In addition to its bamboo toothbrush range, The Humble Co also has toothbrushes that are 70% cornstarch and 30% polypropene (PP) plastic. These are a similarly good alternative to 100% plastic toothbrushes, but aren't compostable.
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Manual toothbrushes with replaceable heads
There are a growing number of manual toothbrushes with replaceable heads available.
These allow you to keep the toothbrush handle and only replace the brush head, reducing your plastic use and general waste.
Oral-B Clic toothbrush
Similar to an electric toothbrush, with the Oral-B Clic, you keep the handle but swap in replaceable heads every few months.
Oral-B claims the Clic will help you reduce the amount of plastic you use by 60% over a two-year period, when the heads are replaced every three months (in comparison with a standard plastic manual toothbrush).
It isn't widely available in the UK right now, but you will find this toothbrush for around £7 on Amazon, with an additional head, and replacement brush heads currently cost about £8 each from Amazon.
Colgate Link toothbrush
The Colgate Link toothbrush has an aluminium handle and costs around £10. It's available at Ocado and Amazon, with replacement brush heads costing around £3.50 each.
Colgate says that by swapping one of its standard plastic manual toothbrushes for the Link, you'll cut plastic waste by 80%.
Barnaby's Brushes
Launched in 2018, Barnaby's Brushes is similar to the Oral-B Clic and the Colgate Link, but it has replaceable bamboo brush heads with soft, medium or hard bristles instead of plastic ones.
It's currently £20 for the first purchase (handle with brush head), and replacement heads cost £3.50-£4.
You can also sign up for the subscription service, which will deliver replacement brush heads every one to three months.
The Humble Co toothbrush
The Humble Co sells a range of regular bamboo toothbrushes, including one with replaceable brush heads.
You can buy bamboo interdental brushes from The Humble Co, which are £3.99 for six from Holland & Barrett.
