Bamboo toothbrushes - are they any good and/or really sustainable?

Ditzy_Mitzy

I prefer an ordinary, non-motorised toothbrush thus have been the disposable, plastic sort for the last thirty-something years.  Recently someone bought me a packet of two recyclable bamboo toothbrushes from Aldi.  The packet states they are made of ethically grown, sustainable bamboo.  I assume this applies only to the handle, as the bristles look and feel very much like traditional nylon.  The first use of the bamboo brush was great; whilst the handle was less ergonomic than my plastic brush, the head was nicely manoeuvrable and the bristles did a good job of tooth cleaning.  In fact, I'd say that the cleaning performance was superior to that of the plastic item. 
Unfortunately, however, the bamboo brush is nothing like as durable as the plastic one.  After four or five uses it's suffering from noticeable loss of bristles.  Additionally the bristle structure has started to collapse, becoming a mashed, matted mess in the middle.  
Thus my attempt  to be eco-friendly might be edging towards failure.  Has anyone had better experiences with bamboo brushes?  Or do they all give up the ghost after a few uses.  I'd rather use, say, five or six plastic brushes in a year than twenty or thirty bamboo ones. 

brook2jack2

You are quite right the handle is bamboo but the bristles are nylon , so it is not biodegradable. 

Terra cycle will recycle toothbrushes , https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/colgate-uk look here for details of your nearest drop off point. 

I reuse old toothbrushes for cleaning bathroom grouting etc. I do not think the bamboo toothbrush is a great sustainable alternative yet . All are made the same way. I would continue to use and reuse conventional toothbrushes for now. 

Ditzy_Mitzy

brook2jack2 said:

You are quite right the handle is bamboo but the bristles are nylon , so it is not biodegradable. 

Terra cycle will recycle toothbrushes , https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/colgate-uk look here for details of your nearest drop off point. 

I reuse old toothbrushes for cleaning bathroom grouting etc. I do not think the bamboo toothbrush is a great sustainable alternative yet . All are made the same way. I would continue to use and reuse conventional toothbrushes for now. 

Thank you - I already 'recycle' plastic toothbrushes by using the old ones as little scrubbing brushes for household cleaning.  However I tend to throw them away at the end of the second life.  I shall look into recycling, however checking the map reveals that the closest drop off point is six or seven miles away!  The pollution caused by driving there would, no doubt, far outweigh the environmental benefit of recycling the brush.  As Kermit noted, 'it isn't easy being green'. 

brook2jack2

most most people save up a few months of toothbrushes, boxes, floss , interdental brushes and combine the drop off with another errand.

asajj

It is still less plastic than plastic toothbrush. I use Humble Brush ones and didn't have any issues with bristles.

DCFC79

brook2jack2 said:

most most people save up a few months of toothbrushes, boxes, floss , interdental brushes and combine the drop off with another errand.

Yes they would but it depends of the drop off point is in the direction somewhere the OP is likely to go to.
The OP could apply for a drop off point for toothbrushes.

CapricornLass

Not all bamboo toothbrushes are equal.  I've used the Humble ones and the Colgate ones, and I have to say that I prefer the Humble ones.  I haven't had any problems with the brushes, but the Colgate ones are certainly  not marked as bio-degradable/recyclable.  Humble have suggested cutting the brush-heads off and using the handles as plant labels.