Bamboo toothbrushes offer eco-friendly alternative

Switching to Bamboo toothbrushes is better for our environment and will help stop mass pollution. Plastic toothbrushes pollute oceans and beaches, harming marine life and also take over 400 years to decompose; they then release the chemicals that are used for it to be made into the air, harming the environment. To prevent this we can switch over to bamboo toothbrushes. 

Why should you switch over to bamboo toothbrushes? First of all, it reduces pollution; bamboo produces 35 percent more oxygen and reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released into the world. The oxygen that bamboo produces will lower our carbon footprint and can be a solution to fixing global warming. Bamboo is a critical element to balance oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This plant is a great substitute for plastic in our household because it is positively affecting our environment rather than negatively impacting it as plastic is.

It is also safer and more eco friendly than plastic. Plastic has become an in-dispensable material that only breaks up into little fragments and harms our environment and wildlife. Every year billions of plastic toothbrushes are thrown away and end up dumped in our oceans or landfills. However, bamboo is a biodegradable resource that can be recycled and replenished; it is easily sustainable and can quickly go through the process of decomposition. In single-use plastic toothbrushes, 60 percent of the material was made up of micro-plastics while bamboo toothbrushes are 100 percent natural. Bamboo can be harvested and replenished without destroying our natural forest.

Lastly, it is highly sustainable due to bamboo being a fast growing crop that requires no fertilizer, pesticides or herbicides to grow. Once bamboo is harvested, it regrows itself from its own roots and does not need to be replanted again, which is great for soil health. Soil plays a vital role in Earth’s ecosystem, and micro-plastic has been found in the soil pores, which prevents aeration of soil, causing the roots to die. Bamboo improves our soil rather than plastic, and better soil will prevent soil erosions and will overall be better for our environment. Using bamboo toothbrushes increases the use of the bamboo plant and decreases the need for plastic. 

Bamboo toothbrushes do come with a challenge, though, as they require some more care compared to plastic toothbrushes. The bristles in the bamboo toothbrushes are made out of Nylon, and it is hard for Nylon to biodegrade unless removed and recycled correctly. Therefore you need to take the bristles out once the toothbrush is ready to be thrown away. You will also need to keep it dry which may be tricky considering it is a toothbrush. It can get wet, but in order for it to sustain, it must be dried quickly after use and kept upright in a container. This will ensure it stays dry throughout the day keeping it in better condition.