I first read about toothbrushes with replaceable heads on goto reviews.
Then I saw these Ekotec toothbrushes, in recycled paper packaging, at Co-opportunity.
These Ekotecs are distributed by the same company as Smile Brite, which is the company that goto reviews featured.
$4.95, for a brush with two replacement heads. Cheaper, and more environmentally friendly.
And if you don’t live in the LA area, you can still get them online.
We’ve had some German toothbrushes with replaceable heads for a long time here.
I have difficulty seeing how this would save the planet. Especially if you fedex them from some distant online purveyor.
Anyway, even if one would be a loyal believer in the ‘small streams’ line of argumentation, I don’t really buy into the need of buying new toothbrushes as often as Pepsodent recommends. Boiling them regularly is a good idea, and if you don’t brush too heavily (which you shouldn’t) they don’t even go out of shape nowadays.
I have seen some African native toothbrushes made of wood sticks; the end would be frizzled and the wood contained an antibacterial oil. Not that it would be gentle on gums but at least biodegradable.
Comment by Anonymous — March 6, 2006 @ 11:40 pm
Anon — Using these toothbrushes will not “save the planet” in and of itself. Not sure how my post may’ve implied that, but sorry to disappoint you nonetheless.
Comment by Siel — March 7, 2006 @ 9:00 am
I think it is the same German kind one can find in the ICA supermarket chain in Sweden (they just changed the name of the brush) 3€ for a brush (with two heads) and 2€ for 4 replacement heads. They come with either medium or soft bristles.
In their commercial they compare two glas jars with the annual family consumption of normal and the replaceable toothbrushes. It looks a lot, but saving the planet, is pushing a bit, but hey, every little step on the way is important :-)
Yepp, fedexing a small box of tooth brushes between continents seems pushing a bit too far ;-)
I dunno what polymer is used in tooth brushes but polyethylene is probably not that difficult to make from (bio)ethanol.
I have never heard of toothbrush bores before :-) I know shaving brushes usually are made from bores (or at least used to be).
Comment by Johan — March 7, 2006 @ 11:15 am
While using replaceable head toothbrushes may not “save the planet” it goes a long way in voicing concern about our consumeristic throw away society!!
I live in a very small (pop.300) town in Northern Wisconsin where unlike larger cities we do not have our garbage picked up by the local garbage man but instead take our garbage and recycling to the local transfer station. I am often horrified by the amount of reusable garbage left at the transfer station each day! Recently I dug an almost brand new printer for my computer out of the trash, the man who runs the dump said that the people (read weekend vacation home tourist types) who threw it away had purchased a newer faster printer. I see this same type of thing over and over and it makes me sick. Go check out your local dump once, see what is out there, maybe you will feel the same.
Using these toothbrushes is a step in the right direction! And as a side note, I have used natural Boar bristle toothbrushes, sadly they don’t last long and start to come apart within weeks.
Peace,
Margie
The Northwoods Hippie Girl
Comment by Northwoods Hippie Girl — March 10, 2006 @ 5:35 am
which reminds me, the co-op in sweden sells dish brushes with replacable heads. same thing just larger brushes :-)
Comment by Johan — March 13, 2006 @ 3:44 am