Key takeaways
It is possible to recycle electric toothbrush heads via specialist programmes and take back schemes.
But at the moment they can’t be recycled with your normal household waste.
As with manual toothbrushes, this is because they are made of a mixture of materials, which are difficult to separate.
They also use nylon bristles, which cannot be recycled in the mainstream facilities currently available.
There are some toothbrush heads which advertize themselves as more environmentally friendly, but at the moment there isn’t much evidence when it comes to supporting this. I’ll go into more detail below.
Ultimately, to recycle an electric toothbrush head, it will need to go to a specialist facility.
You can do this via schemes such as TerraCycle or through manufacturer take back schemes.
Recycling brush heads from Oral-B, Sonicare & Colgate
There are many different electric toothbrush manufacturers. The most widely known are Oral-B/Braun/Crest, Philips/Sonicare and Colgate.
Each one has its own specific toothbrush heads which only fit its electric toothbrushes.
TerraCycle, a specialist recycling company, works together with brands to provide free recycling programmes for oral care products and packaging (as well as other hard to recycle items).
TerraCycle rewards collectors with donations to schools, charities and non profit organisations.
For an in depth explanation about TerraCycle schemes, see our page about recycling toothbrushes.
Colgate
Colgate does not have its own partnership with TerraCycle in Canada.
You can recycle your Colgate toothbrush heads through the P&G or Tom’s Of Maine TerraCycle schemes.
Just drop them off at the registered location (which you can find on the TerraCycle website).
Of course, you can also recycle your Philips toothbrush heads using your own Zero Waste Box
Philips Sonicare
Philips Sonicare does not have its own partnership with TerraCycle in Canada.
You can recycle your Philips/Sonicare toothbrush heads through the TerraCycle schemes sponsored by P&G or Tom’s Of Maine.
Alternatively, you can order your own Zero Waste Box.
Oral-B
Oral-B (/Crest/Braun) does have a partnership with TerraCyle – Proctor & Gamble (P&G) Oral Care Recycling Program.
You can take your Oral-B toothbrush heads to the participating location for the P&G or Tom’s of Maine Scheme. Alternatively you can order your own Zero Waste Box and recycle your Oral-B toothbrush heads there.
Another option is to recycle your Oral-B toothbrush heads through “Recycle on Us”, a recycling scheme from Oral-B.
Instead of sending your products into TerraCycle, you post it into Oral-B/Crest.
To get your shipping label head to https://recycling.oralb.com/.
Brush head manufacturers offering take back schemes
At the moment we do not know of any companies in Canada offering take back schemes for brush heads.
We’ll update this post if we do find out about any.
If there is one that you know of, let us know in the comments below.
Do “eco-friendly electric toothbrush heads” exist?
Being recyclable does not automatically make something environmentally friendly.
This is true for electric toothbrush heads too.
There are some alternative materials used for toothbrush heads which manufacturers will tell you make them eco-friendly.
One of the best options for an environmentally friendly toothbrush head would be to use recycled plastic material. The only example of this I have come across are these Green Clean Toothbrush Heads from Jordan, although they are not widely available at the moment.
Yes, there can be a slight improvement by avoiding certain materials. But some materials actually make the recycling process more difficult.
For example, bio-based plastics, where the starting material is plant based as opposed to oil based, is a reasonable alternative. There is less impact on the environment in terms of taking a finite resource and using a renewable resource instead. This can reduce carbon dioxide emissions and reduce the need for damaging drilling for petroleum.
Bio-based plastics are an alternative to petroleum based plastics, but do not help us to reduce our reliance on difficult to recycle materials. Bioplastics and bio-based plastics are discussed in more detail in our post about the most eco-friendly toothbrushes.
The terms “plant-based” and “plastic free” are not regulated and are often used misleadingly to make you think a product is more environmentally friendly than it is.
A plastic made from plants is still a plastic. It still needs to be recycled effectively when you are finished, otherwise it can contaminate land and water sources.
Some plastics are labelled as “biodegradable”. Firstly, these do not have certification to confirm this. Secondly, when placed into regular recycling streams these different types of plastic can damage the equipment.
Examples of bio-based plastic being used for electric toothbrush heads include:
- Plus Ultra
- TIO brush heads — we reviewed these a long time ago and the heads were unavailable for quite a while, but are now back on sale here.
What about bamboo electric toothbrush heads?
Other materials for electric toothbrush heads have also been proposed. As is common with dental products, bamboo electric toothbrush heads are now starting to make an appearance.
One concern with bamboo is that it is not necessarily the most environmentally friendly material, despite being advertised as so.
Switching out the material of the handle only solves one problem: less plastic is used. Bamboo can be difficult to recycle unless organic recycling is available. Nylon bristles will still be a problem.
There is no guarantee that the bamboo is sustainably sourced either. Yes, it is a renewable material. But where the bamboo comes from will have a massive contribution to the environment.
Examples of bamboo electric toothbrush heads include:
- Boo heads (Philips Sonicare compatible)
- Organically Epic (Philips Sonicare compatible)
- Planet Natura (Phillips Sonicare compatible)
- Humble Co (Phillips Sonicare compatible)
- Pure Earth (Phillips Sonicare compatible)
Nylon bristles are the most widely tested. It is important to have the right bristles to ensure effective cleaning and avoid damage on the gums and teeth.
It is possible to have a bio-based nylon, but alternative compostable materials are not currently recommended.
Overall, an electric toothbrush is a less environmentally friendly option than a manual toothbrush. This is because of the additional resources needed to make and transport them, as well as the electricity required to charge them. I explain it in greater detail in my eco-friendly toothbrush article.
What we would like to see from brands that sell brush heads:
Toothbrush heads are difficult to recycle, and part of that is unavoidable.
But there are some things that we would like to see from brands who sell such products.
Brands offering take back schemes
- Greater transparency about what their products are made of
- Are they made from sustainable alternatives?
- Explaining why they have chosen the materials they use.
- Information about where the toothbrush heads are made.
- Certification to support any environmental claims.
- More evidence and detail of the recycling process they undertake.
- Is processing in house or outsourced?
- If outsourced, then to who?
- If it is outsourced, why should you choose that company over any other and then just use TerraCycle?
- Evidence about how their take back scheme compares to TerraCycle.
- More transparency about the sustainability efforts of the company e.g. using renewable energy to power the factories.
- Create products which are easy to recycle in kerbside recycling facilities.
Brands with TerraCycle partnerships
- Better availability. Having more drop-off locations available will make it easier for people to access them, which means they are more likely to be used.
- Clearer explanation of which products are/are not accepted – as there is variation across different sponsored programmes.
- Transparency about what the sponsors gain from the partnerships and the cost of running the programmes vs profits from resale of recycled plastic.
Brands that don’t yet offer recycling
- Fund or create schemes that make it simpler for users to send their products for recycling.
- Create products which are easy to recycle in kerbside recycling facilities.
Stay up to date with new innovations
If any new products are released that come with an innovative design or a new approach to sustainability, we will feature them on our toothbrush design, innovation and technology page.
On that page you can sign up for a quarterly email roundup of new toothbrush tech releases.
