Is it recyclable: Toothbrushes?

The bristles started falling out of my toothbrush this week, so it's time to switch. It is definitely made of plastic, but it's completely unclear whether I can recycle my toothbrush. My recycling website doesn't mention toothbrushes anywhere. Apparently 50 million pounds of toothbrushes go into the landfill each year.  Is it inevitable that mine will join them?

And probably more importantly, are there eco-friendly alternatives to the toothbrushes I purchase today encased in plastic at the drugstore?

Comments

[arduous]

your toothbrush is probably not recyclable but Preserve toothbrushes are.

http://www.recycline.com/products/preserve.html

You can buy them online, at Whole Foods or Trader Joes.

[Green Bean]

Yes, I'm with arduous. I do the Preserve toothbrushes too. They come in a reusable toothbrush holder and are made from recycled #5 plastic. When you are done, you can send them back to the company for recycling.

[Lu]

I use the Preserve toothbrush as well and a number of their other products. They are great.

If you don't want to use Preserve though, you could always go with an electric toothbrush. This way you are only throwing out the heads. And if you use a solar powered charger (like this one http://www.solio.com/charger/) you won't have to use conventional energy to power it. Just an alternative to consider.

www.greenmadesimple.blogspot.com