Oral care products, such as toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes, may seem impossible to recycle. After all, how would a recycler remove all of that extra toothpaste from the tube or disassemble a toothbrush for recycling? The good news is that the landscape of oral care recycling has expanded dramatically in recent years, with multiple brands offering take-back programs to make it easier than ever to keep our pearly whites healthy without contributing to landfill waste.
Americans generate an estimated 32 million pounds of waste from dental products each year, with only about 5% currently recycled. The production of dental products also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and air pollution, making proper disposal and sustainable alternatives increasingly important. Picking products based on the availability of recycling take-back options is a useful step to reducing waste.
Can I Recycle Toothbrushes and Toothpaste Tubes?
Answer: Yes! While your local recycling program may not accept all types, numerous free mail-in programs and brand take-back initiatives now make oral care recycling accessible to everyone.
How Are Oral Care Products Recycled?
Oral care products and packaging vary greatly by material and can include different types of plastics, aluminum, steel, and nylon. In most cases, each of these components must be processed separately, making it a tricky job for recyclers.
Toothbrushes
“Toothbrushes are one of the most complicated items that we collect for recycling across the board, simply because they’re made up of three different components,” said Stacey Krauss, U.S. public relations manager for TerraCycle, which accepts toothbrushes and oral care product packaging through its mail-back Colgate Oral Care Recycling Program.
“There are the nylon bristles, there’s a metal staple that holds the bristles in place, and then there’s the plastic handle. So, all three of those materials need to be separated before they can be processed,” she explained.
After the toothbrush components are separated, metals are processed through standard recycling. The nylon and plastic components are shredded, cleaned, and pelletized for use in manufacturing items ranging from picnic tables and benches to playground equipment and bike racks, among other things, Krauss said.
Toothpaste Tubes
Toothpaste tubes present their own puzzle. The sticky residue inevitably left inside makes them seem like recycling nightmares. TerraCycle’s lead scientist, Ernie Simpson, shared their solution: “For bottles, toothpaste tubes, or anything like that, one of the tricks for getting residuals out of these containers is to shred the material. Once the materials are shredded, the surface area that has the residuals is exposed.”
After shredding, the pieces pass through washing cycles with water or simple biocides that dissolve bio-based materials, then move through drying and pelletizing steps that convert the waste into raw materials for new products. Similar shredding and pelletizing processes are used for salvaging mouthwash containers and dental floss packaging for recycling, Simpson said.
Brand Take-back Programs
The most significant development in oral care recycling has been the emergence of comprehensive brand take-back programs that make recycling as simple as requesting a shipping label and dropping off a box at UPS.
Crest and Oral-B
Crest and Oral-B’s Terracycle-managed Recycle On Us program accepts used Crest, Oral-B, and Fixodent brand products, including plastic toothbrushes, toothbrush head refills, toothpaste tubes, mouthwash containers, floss containers, and floss picks. The process is simple: request a free shipping label, gather materials in any size box, and visit a drop-off location to send them to be recycled and made into items like park benches and clothing.
The program does have one important limitation—electric toothbrushes, battery toothbrushes, and their parts (except refill brush heads) are not accepted due to the special handling required for their electronic components and batteries.
Colgate Opens the Door to All Brands
Colgate took a different approach with their Oral Care Free Recycling Program, which accepts all brands of used or empty toothpaste tubes and caps, toothbrushes, toothpaste cartons, toothbrush outer packaging, and floss containers. This brand-agnostic approach means you can create a TerraCycle account, collect items in any box, and download a free shipping label when full, regardless of what brands you find in your bathroom cabinet.
Tom’s of Maine Goes Beyond Mail-In
Another Terracycle-hosted recycling option is Tom’s of Maine’s Natural Care Recycling Program, which offers both traditional mail-in options and drop-off points for community collection. The company has also made significant strides in sustainable packaging, having transitioned many products to recyclable #2 HDPE tubes that can be recycled curbside in communities that accept this plastic type.
Arm & Hammer Toothpaste Tube Recycling
While other brands focused on broad oral care categories, ARM & HAMMER took a different path with their TerraCycle partnership, a program focused specifically on toothpaste tube waste. Participants earn 100 TerraCycle points per pound of packaging sent, with points redeemable as donations of $0.01 each to schools, charities, or nonprofits of their choice.
The Electric Toothbrush Challenge
Electric toothbrushes present unique recycling challenges due to their batteries and electronic components, but solutions exist for the environmentally conscious consumer. The key lies in understanding that these devices require disassembly and separate handling of their components.
The first step involves removing rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and taking them to battery recycling facilities such as Call2Recycle drop-off locations, including Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Staples, and Target. Run your toothbrush to deplete the battery before disassembly and use proper safety equipment to avoid injury during the process. You may also need to remove the toothbrush head, which is not consistently accepted for recycling.
After battery removal, check with local electronic waste recycling facilities, as many now accept electric toothbrushes for processing of their plastic and metal components. Some newer programs have emerged for electric toothbrush components. SURI offers plant-based toothbrush heads with prepaid compostable mailer bags for circular recycling, while LiveCoco accepts electric toothbrush heads made with recyclable thermoplastic in select countries.
Local Recycling: The Evolving Landscape
While brand take-back programs have revolutionized oral care recycling, local recycling options continue to evolve, particularly for toothpaste tubes.
Recycling rules vary by region, so checking with your local recycling provider remains essential. Putting materials in your curbside bin that your program doesn’t accept — known as “wishcycling“ — can contaminate other recyclables, so verification is crucial.
The toothpaste tube story has changed dramatically in recent years. In 2019, Colgate started transitioning to toothpaste tubes made of recyclable #2 plastic (HDPE), and other brands have followed suit. If your tube has the #2 (HDPE) recycling code, check with your local recycler to confirm they can process these specialized tubes before adding them to your curbside bin.
However, there’s an important reality check here. Despite the recyclable design, many recovery facilities don’t currently accept these tubes. When in doubt, the brand take-back programs listed above provide guaranteed recycling pathways.
For mouthwash bottles and other oral care packaging, the process remains more straightforward. After emptying and rinsing containers, check the bottom for plastic recycling codes, then verify acceptance with your local recycler or use Earth911 Recycling Search to find appropriate recycling options nearby.
The Bamboo Revolution
A significant development in sustainable oral care is the rise of bamboo toothbrushes, which offer an alternative to plastic that can be disposed of at home. Begin by separating the compostable bamboo handle from the recyclable nylon bristles, which must be disposed of in the trash.
The bamboo handle can be composted at home, taking four to six months to break down. Or, you can send it to a commercial facility, where decomposition occurs within weeks. If you don’t have access to composting services, the bamboo handle can be buried in garden soil, though this slower process may take up to three years. Breaking the bamboo handle into smaller pieces accelerates decomposition. Many users discover additional value by reusing bamboo toothbrushes for cleaning tasks around the house before disposal.
Adopt Precycling
The concept of “precycling,“ making sustainable choices before waste is created, has never been more relevant to oral care. Rather than dealing with disposal challenges after the fact, choosing the right products from the start can eliminate or reduce the steps needed when your oral care products reach the end of their useful life.
Replaceable head toothbrushes represent one of the most practical, sustainable choices. Rather than discarding an entire toothbrush every three months, users can replace the head and continue using the handle for months.
Brand selection has become increasingly important as companies expand their take-back programs. Choosing brands that offer comprehensive recycling programs, such as Tom’s of Maine, Colgate, or Crest/Oral-B, ensures that disposal options exist before products enter your home.
If you seek to eliminate packaging, toothpaste tablets, tooth powders in recyclable containers, and DIY toothpaste formulations offer compelling alternatives.
Making Progress
The slow improvements in oral care recycling reflect broader shifts in corporate responsibility and consumer awareness, and there’s a continuing need to pressure companies to step up. What once seemed impossible—recycling complex, multi-material products—has become almost routine through innovative partnerships between brands, recycling companies, and consumers.
The story continues, as more companies recognize the business case for sustainability and consumers demand better options. Maine’s new Extended Producer Responsibility law for packaging, which shifts disposal costs from taxpayers to producers based on recyclability and environmental impact, suggests that sustainable packaging design will become increasingly important across all product categories.
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Feature image: Axel Naud, Flickr
Editor’s note: Originally published on May 15, 2016, this article was substantially updated in August 2025. Got a question about how to recycle a specific product or type of material? Let us know, and we’ll do the research, sharing the results with the world. You can help support our work, too!