Colgate TerraCycle
Toothbrushes and oral care waste are a major source of waterway pollution.
Millions of toothbrushes end up in landfill in Australia alone. Our partnership with Terracycle’s Colgate Oral Care Recycling Program aims to divert plastic waste from ending up in landfill using responsible recycling techniques.
What do I need to do?
Simply gather accepted oral care waste at home (as pictured in the graphic above), ensuring that they are dry and do not contain extra product such as leftover floss or toothpaste. Then, during our opening hours, bring your waste to the practice and we will take care of the rest.
What happens to my waste?
When we gather enough waste we mail the items to the Terracycle facility. Once received, the products are sorted into groups, shredded, and melted into hard plastic that is used to make numerous other products that will end up on the shelves- giving your waste a new life, and importantly, keeping it out of landfill and waterways.
Who can take part?
We encourage absolutely everyone to take part, you do not have to be a patient at the practice. However, if you are a patient at the practice, we offer new toothbrushes in exchange for used toothbrushes.
Benefits of taking part
This initiative is aimed to decrease your carbon footprint, as well as promoting the sustainability of our planet. By recycling plastic, there is less demand to create new plastics which contain fossil fuels. Furthermore, toothbrushes that ends up in landfill or in waterways take roughly 1000 years to biodegrade!
Aside from this, eDental Karrinyup accumulates Terracycle points for each piece of oral care waste we receive. As we gather more points, we receive a small amount of money which we will be donating to Karrinyup Primary School.