Caring for your teeth and environment with bamboo toothbrushes

It has finally reached India where several youngsters are reinventing their everyday morning routines in the spirit of ecoconscious living and being aware of landfill waste.

To put it in perspective, the company has highlighted that over 4.7 billion plastic toothbrushes, which will never biodegrade, are dumped in landfills and oceans annually across the globe.

A serious attempt to reduce the use of plastic toothbrushes — every single one ever created still exists — #BrushWithBamboo has been trending of late in Chennai as well, with a social media campaign picking pace.

Says author Arya Rajam, who purchased her first bamboo toothbrush around six months ago and has been using it ever since, “I came across the initiative online first, and when I read about the negative impact of plastic brushes, I immediately wanted to switch. There are quite a few stores in India that offer bamboo brushes and it was easy to buy one. The toothbrush I purchased has nylon bristles and its perfectly fine for daily use. It took me just a day to adapt to it and my dentist agreed that it is safe to use and keeps my teeth cavity- free. I’m encouraging many friends now to switch to it as well.” However, while a plastic toothbrush costs between Rs 30 and Rs 100, the bamboo version is priced between Rs 250 and Rs. 300.

Goli Soda store, which promotes environmental friendly, upcycled and organic products, is one of the popular spaces here to get bamboo brushes and straws.

Nahshon Benjamin, marketing manager at the store, says that people are slowly getting educated on such products – though it’s an encouraging start.

“It’s mostly customers who walk into the store, glimpse the brushes or straws, learn about the plastic issue, ask many questions ... then take an educated call to purchase them. There is a learning curve associated with it, especially when the price is on the higher side. However, these brushes are durable, reusable and are bio-degradable — such factors go a long way in convincing people.”