When it comes to living a sustainable lifestyle, one of most talk-about topic is about finding alternatives for plastic tools and materials. When I thought about trying to live a healthier and sustainable lifestyle, one of the thoughts which occured to me really was how do I make the shift. Most if not all of the materials I have been accustomed to was made of plastic–hairbrush, disposable tupperwares and utensils, and toothbrush.
While reading and watching a lot of materials following the blogs of zero-waste and sustainable lifestyle advocates, I learned a lot of alternatives about different things in life. But one which made a really good start was finding a compostable toothbrush.
Why Switch to Bamboo Toothbrush?
Toothbrush is one of the most essential tools in maintaning a good oral hygiene and health. I, for one cannot leave the house without brushing my teeth and I bet that most of us can’t. However, toothbrush that are being sold commercially today are mostly made out of plastic which is not really eco-friendly. Once we are done using our brushes, we just throw them in the bin to disappear
But does any of our trash really disapper? No, not really. They are just off to the dumpsite and rot there. Plastics, again takes ages to decompost–another millenials to rot. Hence, they stay. Toothbrush again are recommended to be replaced every 3 months. That’s 4 toothbrushes each year if we follow this rule. If the 7 billion people in the Earth does this, that’s 28 billion of toothbrush to accumulate in the dump.
Many bloggers and users were recommending different brands. Most of which have been in the industry for so long. I have also visited leading online green stores and found good alternatives but I also try to live now with another principle–to stay local and to patronize local brands if they are available.
Minka Bamboo Toothbrush
I came across Minka while looking for a local maker of bamboo toothbrush in the Philippines. Minka Ventures was the only bamboo toothbrush supplier from the Philippines which popped on my search.
Dubbed as The Toothbrush Movement Bamboo Toothbrush by Minka, this toothbrush is made from biodegradable bamboo and has natural anti-bacterial properties which is great for your oral health and the environment.
I thought the grip of this brush is thicker but definitely sturdy. Maybe this is because I have been accustomed to the thin and smooth grip of plastic toothbrush. It feels different using this brush because of its wooden texture.
With a brush like this, it doesn’t come cheap. I bought my Minka Bamboo Toothbrush for Php 199.75. I used to buy a three pairs of toothbrush for only less than Php 50.00, but now that I think about it, the price is worth it for all the benefits for the environment you can reap.
You can buy this bamboo toothbrush at Human Heart Nature, EchoStore, G-Stuff, Sesou, and Healthy Options. I bought mine at Human Heart Nature’s online shop because they are not available at the Beauty Bar and department stores which are selling Human Heart Nature’s product line.
Would I recommend this bamboo toothbrush? Yes. Hopefully more people would start a venture for sustainable products like the bamboo toothbrush and more people would buy similar products.
I am still on the lookout for sustainable alternatives. If you happen to know other products or brands which sell local natural/organic/green products, please let me know.
Wow, that’s different and I’ve never heard of that. It certainly is more eco friendly.
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Hm, interesting! Though I honestly couldn’t afford to spend that much on a toothbrush. Honestly just switched to electric. But I get why you’re trying to find other alternatives. Just a shame sometimes those tend to get on the expensive side.
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True. Hopefully, there would be demand and supply in the future that would create cheaper alternatives with same quality.
Thank you for your blog post, Marinella. We are definitely trying to find ways to be more cost effective. And you are right about the demand… The more support we can get, the faster it will be for us to make that a reality.
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