Reducing Plastic Pollution 1 toothbrush at a time

Impact of Plastic on the Environment
Bringing Awareness to Retailers and the Dental Industry about the Impact of Promoting and Distributing Plastic Dental Products

Plastic toothbrushes are non-biodegradable which means it will not break down naturally and produces pollution in our environment. It may seem trivial but just like the straw, soon the plastic toothbrush will be banned and replaced with ecofriendly ones. But every year that we continue to use them, we exponentially add to the heaps in the landfill.

According to research by Foreo, 1 billion toothbrushes are thrown away annually in the US alone. Imagine if we followed the guidelines of buying a new toothbrush every 3 – 4 months and Canada has a population of 38M (ages 0+ assuming babies age 1 year and older start brushing their teeth), then we would be disposing of 150M+ toothbrushes a year. It’s become a real dilemma that even the National Geographic has brought to light.

Why do we keep buying and throwing away toothbrushes?

Here are some reasons:

• We, consumers, are not aware of other options
• Retailers are not giving us access to more options than plastic versions because the plastic manufacturers have strong relationships
• Big manufacturers have monopolized the market and will only produce plastic despite the environmental impact – it’s all about profit
• Dentists have strong relationships with the plastic toothbrush manufacturers

How do we change this?

• Promote biodegradable toothbrush to distributors (retailers and dentists) by giving away trial package
• Make it easy for people to find and try more ecofriendly products

Who will benefit from this?

• All of us will benefit from this replacement of plastic with biodegradable bamboo brushes. We will be able to reduce the plastic pollution.

What will the money be used for ?

• The money raised will be used to purchase trial packages sent to retail buyers and dental offices. We know that these plastic manufacturers have a stronghold on the market. It’s in their best interest to keep pushing their products.

What outcome do I expect from this fundraising?

• I hope that from this effort people will understand the impact of their choices and start to substitute plastic toothbrushes with biodegradable bamboo ones

When will this fund need to be achieved?

• I hope we can achieve this goal before the end of summer (Sep 2021)

Your donation

• When you donate a minimum of $50 CAD, you will receive a biodegradable toothbrush trial package.

Thank you for your support!

Some Resources:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/story-of-plastic-toothbrushes
https://www.foreo.com/mysa/how-toothbrushes-affect-environment-infographic/