The environmental footprint of toothpaste tubes is enormous: about 252 million tubes are sold in the UK each year, according to the UK’s environmental non-governmental organisation the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Estimates suggest that globally approximately 20 billion tubes are produced per year. Unfortunately, since toothpaste tube recycling is not commonplace in many countries, a great number of these tubes are discarded and end up in landfill or other disposal routes. When these tubes break down into microplastics, the particles can enter waterways, oceans and soil, potentially harming ecosystems and even entering the food chain.
Going forwards, all toothpaste tubes sold in the UK will be made of high-density, recyclable polyethylene and will be able to be recycled either through local kerb-side collections or by returning them to any Boots store nationwide. The initiative, led by major toothpaste brands such as Colgate-Palmolive and Haleon in collaboration with WRAP, aims to overcome the recycling challenges of traditional tubes, which are constructed from a mix of aluminium and plastic. WRAP CEO Catherine David said in a press release: “We’ve taken one of the most infuriating household items and made it recyclable.”
Dental industry representatives are encouraging oral healthcare professionals to inform their patients about the initiative. Given that dentists play a crucial role as the front line of behaviour change through promoting oral health practices, their involvement is key to reducing the volume of discarded toothpaste tubes ending up in landfill.