The 21st Century Toothbrush

No, it isn't driven by lasers or sonic pulses. It doesn't brush your teeth for you, time your tooth-brushing regimen, or turn plaque into energy. It's 100% recycled, and when you retire it (dentists recommend replacing toothbrushes every three months - a lot of landfill) the company wants you to send it back to them, at their expense, so they can grind it up to be used to make plastic lumber.

The Preserve Jr. kids' toothbrush is nicely-designed. Its handle has a molded "peapod" grip that eliminates the need for an additional type of plastic to be used as a gripping surface, which is what makes most toothbrushes unrecyclable (the combination of plastics that are uneconomical to separate). You can download a postage-paid shipping label from the company's website, and they'll grind your old toothbrushes up, bristles and all, to make a strong, durable plastic they'll sell to companies that make stuff like picnic tables and decking materials.

Z loves her dark brown Preserve Jr., so we just bought her a new one on a recent trip to Whole Foods. Toothbrushes are one of the few areas in her life that has traditionally been dominated by licensed characters - we enjoy letting her pick out her own toothbrush from a few "options." But she is thrilled with this toothbrush, we aren't sure why. It may be the shape, which is very easy for her to hold, or it may be the fact that it came in the mail instead of buying it at the store.

Online, four of these babies cost $11; with $4.50 shipping, that means they're $4 apiece - a bit more than regular toothbrushes, but less than the premium you probably already pay for some environmentally-friendly alternatives, and the shift can have a big impact. The company behind the Preserve Jr., Recycline, also sells toothbrushes for adults, which we bought two of on our shopping trip as well. They also make recycled and recyclable razors, tableware, and more.

As an added bonus, you can have your four toothbrushes shipped to you at intervals of your choice (every 2, 3, 4, or 5 months).

If you're interested in the details of their plastic sourcing, production process, or environmental priorities, you can read up on their website. Sounds interesting to me - I think they should put a video up on YouTube. Then again, it may just be that I like the idea of watching plastic get ground up.

You can buy Recycline oral care products at the company's online store or on Amazon.com.