Reducing our use of plastic can be challenging. Quite often, the burden of responsibility seems to fall to consumers to spend – both time and money – researching the available alternatives and investing in them.
It can be difficult to find local shops that sell products you need in non-plastic containers or packaging. You may well need to look online for smaller or alternative businesses to find these. Quite often, for many people, the sheer effort of it is enough to put them off. After all, some products you just need.
But stop for a moment and consider how much plastic you have handled today. From the obvious plastic bags, to food packaging or cleaning products or even toothpaste. Plastic is in a huge number of items. It’s involved in the manufacturing process of whole hosts of products we rely upon every day. But it is unsustainable. The reality is that in time, we will need to change our lifestyles to significantly reduce the amount of plastic we use and begin to recycle and repurpose existing plastics in more effective ways.
As part of our move towards more sustainable living, we at Dunami had already started using bamboo toothbrushes. Good oral hygiene is important to everyone. Yet, many of the products we require to achieve this come in plastic packaging and contain synthetic ingredients, which are not good if ingested. So, we decided to explore a complementary everyday product we all use: toothpaste.
Georganics
Georganics is a company who have dedicated themselves to creating natural and sustainable oral care products. They produce and sell everything from natural toothpaste and toothpowder, to natural floss, dental supplements and natural toothbrushes.
Their products are made from natural and (where possible) locally-sourced ingredients. They use plastic-free packaging which is biodegradable and recyclable. To this end, they also sell many refills (e.g. floss refills) to encourage reusing existing materials.
Their toothpaste is made from key minerals (such as calcium, potassium and magnesium) and all the ingredients are food grade certified, meaning they are safe if accidentally ingested. They come in glass jars and are available in a range of flavours. You can also buy toothpaste tablets and mouthwash as well.
One of the most appealing aspects of their products for those with young families, is that Georganics has a specialised set of products dedicated for children. You are able to purchase natural specialised toothpastes and toothbrushes for children.
Anything But Plastic
Anything But Plastic is dedicated to reducing plastic consumption. The shop sells a whole host of plastic-free alternatives, from bathroom products to household items.
You can buy Denttabs Toothpaste tablets, which include fluoride. This is important as many other natural and plastic-free toothpastes do not contain fluoride. This toothpaste comes in the form of a tablet. You need to chew it and add some water (or saliva) for it to begin to turn into toothpaste.
Anything But Plastic advises using the toothpaste with a soft bristle brush to help you spread it evenly throughout your mouth. However, whilst the toothpaste is safe to use for older children, they do suggest checking with a dentist for younger children, due to the inclusion of fluoride. You can also purchase bamboo toothbrushes (for adults and children), as well as dental lace on the website.
Other selling points of the Denttabs Toothpaste tablets, are that they are easy to store in any container you have and are easy to travel with. As they are not liquid, they are handy to take through airport security and are fairly cheap to buy.
An Invitation…
Small changes by individuals can add up to big changes for our environment. So, this week we would like to invite you to go plastic free with your oral care.
Whether it is a change of toothpaste or dental floss or even trying out a plastic-free toothbrush. Choose one aspect of your daily oral care routine to change.
Share your experiences and discoveries in the comments.