How To Prepare Toothpaste Tubes For The Recycling Process

Do you know that you can recycle your toothpaste tubes? Yeah, not many are aware of this. A majority of us throw away the toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes once we are done using them, but in reality, these tubes can be recycled. Although not all of them can be, the tubes that are made of materials that have been laminated can be recycled.

Recycling experts think that tubes that are made of pure plastic are harder to recycle, which is why your local waste management or garbage collector will refuse to take them. Still, many toothpaste tubes like that of Colgate are made of both aluminum and plastic; these are toothpaste laminated tubes, so they are somewhat recyclable.

If you are an activist who believes in protecting the environment and you might be interested to know how to prepare your toothpaste for recycling. There is a process that you have to follow. 

• First, to make your toothpaste tubes recyclable and make it easier for your local waste management, you need to clean the paste. Yes, you read it right; you need to squeeze out all the residues from the tube. 
• If you can squeeze them all out, scrape them. It may be easier to scrape a squeeze tube. 
• Once you have taken out all the residuals, cut off the neck of the tube. 
• Then cut the tube down from the side. 
• Open the tube up, and they clean them with warm water or soap. Make sure that the inside of the tube is squeaky clean. 

What To Do After You Have Prepared The Tube For Recycling?

After you have followed the steps mentioned above, you need to call your local waste management and ask them whether they accept toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes. Since many garbage disposals do not, even if you have taken the time to clean the tube. If they accept, you can drop them off or wait for them to come to pick it up at your place. 

Can You Recycle Other Oral Products?

Apart from toothpaste laminate tubes, you can recycle toothbrushes, dental floss as well as mouthwash. The toothbrush is a little trickier than toothpaste tubes as they are put through a shredder and then pelletized, but toothbrushes need more time.

 Since they are made of 3 separate materials – nylon, plastic, and metal, all these materials have to be separated first and then have to be recycled. Metals are recycled using standard recycling methods; nylon and plastic are first cleaned, shredded, and then ultimately pelletized. 

When you are recycling at home or preparing oral care products to be recycled at home, you need to know what materials you are dealing with. To know that you can Google the product, read all the information, and then decide on a recycling method to recycle the product properly.

Unless you know the types of materials used in the product, you cannot prepare it for recycling it. Different materials have different recycling needs and methods.