Each year 1,5 billion toothpaste tubes end up in our oceans and landfills.
Approximately one 75 ml toothpaste tube is used a month when 1 person brushes his/her teeth twice a day.
Toothpaste tubes are often made of different types of plastics, as well as containing a metal layer (in order to keep it minty fresh!). In general, they are not recyclable, although there have been breakthroughs including by Colgate and TerraCycle who offer a recycling scheme for oral care products.
To this end, I decided to try toothpaste in a jar.
Ok, so why choose this one? Easy answer - I have no idea, my teeth are naturally not the whitest and I spotted this one by Ben and Anna, did a little looky looky at their website and ethics, and decided to try to give them a go, nothing more complicated than that.
Why choose it?
The toothpaste comes in a box (recyclable but perhaps unnecessary)
The toothpaste comes with a little sticky thing to apply your toothpaste (totally unnecessary and messy unless you are a hygiene freak - but it is recyclable)
It tastes great (bonus)
My teeth may be a little whiter??
The texture is good.
Natural, vegan, and cruelty-free, made with ingredients of natural origin such as sea buckthorn, chamomile, activated charcoal, cinnamon, and calcium.
Free from any harmful or controversial ingredients such as phthalates, parabens, microplastics, SLS, or formaldehyde
Regarding the texture - I have tried some natural kinds of toothpaste and they can be a bit powdery or oily or just nasty!!
There is an article by SustainableJungle which covers a few different brands, just in case you are interested in switching to plastic-free toothpaste but not sure where to start.
I must say I tried GeoOrganics and gagged every time I used it, but at £7 a jar I was damn sure I was going to use it. (that is just my response, other people obviously use it and find it just fine?!)
That is one thing about using 'green' products, they will be more expensive BUT - how much would a new planet cost?
Please don’t consider this post as medical advice (you may need fluoride, for example, many people do), please check with your dentist.