According to a study put out last year by the United Nations, you can cut your carbon footprint by 48 grams of CO2 a day by using a good old-fashioned manual toothbrush instead of an electric model.
Of course, the entire picture is much more complex than that. You need to look not only at how you use something, but the manufacturing and product lifecycle. Traditional toothbrushes are thrown away when they're used up, and can't be recycled. Electric toothbrushes have replaceable heads, so you are actually creating less waste every time you need to change your brush.
But electric toothbrushes don't last forever. After a few years, they stop holding their charges, and tend to end up in the trash. That's e-waste, which is bad for the environment.
Posted to RiverWired by John Platt
RiverWired is a network of sites and blogs with eco-friendly news, videos and community to help people live just a little greener – and have a lot more fun.
Bill K. says:
My wife and I have been using our electric toothbrush for years now and our hygienist has seen a major improvement in the health of our teeth. I couldn't go back to a regular one now. I do hate to throw away the replacement heads instead of being able to recycle them but its about the same amount of plastic as a regular brush.
The newer electric brushes have smaller replacement heads now so thats a good thing if we ever have to replace it. I'm sure the battery can be recycled at Batteries Plus if it ever quits.
I usually unplug the charger for a few days at a time. I only keep it plugged in during the off-peak time of day, 9PM to 9AM.