How to Dispose of a Bamboo Toothbrush in 3 Steps
(with Zero Waste)

So, it’s been 3 months and your bamboo toothbrush is full of bacteria and worn-out? Here’s how to dispose of a Bam&Boo toothbrush in 3 steps without any waste: 

• Step 1 – Remove the toothbrush bristles
• Step 2 – Dispose of the bamboo handle
• Step 3 – Reuse or upcycle your bamboo toothbrush

You already know our motto: Reduce waste and plastic. Go green. Go blue. We also care deeply for reusing and recycling.

So, let’s get you in the mood for some cool DIY eco-conscious steps to a proper disposal of your Bam&Boo toothbrush.

We remind you that our handle is made out of 100% biodegradable bamboo and the bristles are made from nylon 6 bpa free.

The different parts of your bamboo toothbrush can be disassembled. Are you all set to go?

Step 1 - Remove the toothbrush bristles

How to best remove the bamboo toothbrush bristles:

• Find a nice spot in the kitchen’s table, in a corner of the balcony or porch to carry out this task. Smile all along!
• Get a pair of pliers or tweezers, a tray or a kitchen towel to better confine the removed bristles and avoid them spreading out;
• Pull the bristles out of the head.
  TIP: Don’t try to pull too many in one go. We recommend making a slight rolling movement when pulling. Much easier, right?
• When the removal is complete, you’ll end up with a lightweight pile.

How to recycle the bristles:

Be careful, don't throw them in the mixed recyclables bin

• The bristles should go into a plastic recycling bin but not in the mixed recyclable bins.
  TIP: The bristles are too small for mixed recyclable bins and they will probably not get recycled.
• Also, better than throwing the small bristles into the big plastic recycling bin we suggest reusing a plastic bottle (hey, don’t crinkle your face, it’s an ecobrick 😊 ) to keep all the plastic waste tight in one place ready to be correctly discarded.

Step 2 – Dispose of the bamboo handle 

Now we want to make sure that your 100% biodegradable handle bristle-free breaks down naturally in the environment.

How to compost a bamboo handle:

• Dispose it in your local commercial composter, for a faster decomposition;
• Put it in your home composting bin, if you have one (if you don’t have one, here’s the permaculture idea of how to create a hot compost 😉);
• Throw it into your garden or fireplace, if you are lucky to have one;
• Go for a stroll in your city park and stick it in the soil;
  TIP: Break the bamboo handle into small pieces with a hammer or saw before burying it in the soil. This will speed up decomposition.

Time to fully compost bambo:

You should know that your bamboo handle can take either a few months or some years to biodegrade, because bamboo’s decomposition depends on several conditions: soil, temperature and atmosphere.

Depending on the type of composting, the bamboo handle can take from 3 years to 4 months to compost.

But we can guarantee you that it will get back to earth entirely. And you’ll feel your positive impact!

Step 3 – Reuse or upcycle your bamboo toothbrush 

If you choose to give a second life to your bamboo toothbrush handle, this might as well be your Step 1. Because there are so many useful and cool things you can do.

Ideas to reuse or upcycle your bamboo toothbrush:

• Cleaning tricky spots, like corners, tiles, basins, etc;
• Marking your herb garden, writing the name in the handle and sticking it in the soil;
• Using the bristle-free handle creatively in arts and crafts with your children.

Stay put for more ideas soon. In the meantime, save this tip: boil your worn toothbrush in hot water to sterilize it and make sure you book it for its second life.

Last but not the least…

Just a quick reminder that all our packaging materials are biodegradable, such as envelope without plastic, carton without glue and protection bag made of PLA (polylactic acid which is biodegradable and derived from renewable resources such as corn or cassava starch).

So, basically your bamboo toothbrush’s recycling journey starts as soon as you receive your toothbrush subscription comfortably at your door. Awesome, don’t you think?

Feel free to leave your comments below. We would love to hear your ideas and tips and join our community.

Bam&Boo