One billion is a large number. It’s almost unfathomable to envision what one billion of anything looks like. Rest assured, this number can manifest itself in many ways. One unfortunate truth is that one billion toothbrushes are thrown away annually, finding themselves in our landfills, on the beaches of Central America, in forests of West Africa.
The ADA recommends replacing toothbrushes every 3-4 months or sooner due to fraying with use. The recommended amount of toothpaste per brushing is a pea-sized amount, or 0.25 g in more exact terms. Based on these numbers, an average 6 oz (170 g) toothpaste tube would be empty after 680 uses or 340 days if the person brushes twice a day. For a family of four, that would mean an empty toothpaste tube every 85 days.
What do you do with the old toothbrush and empty toothpaste tube? Instead of sending them to landfills, bring them to the dental school or dental hygiene clinic to recycle! That’s exactly what students and patients did at Roseman University College of Dental Medicine as a part of a pilot recycling program by Colgate.
