Eco-friendly products to replace your plastic toothbrush

Our oral care routines contribute tonnes of packaging materials to landfill each year, from plastic manual toothbrushes to electric toothbrush heads. If you're looking for products that claim to make your oral hygiene routine more environmentally friendly, we've investigated some options.

We've recently tested a new electric toothbrush that seems leaps ahead of others on the market when it comes to its green credentials.

SURI (short for Sustainable Rituals) aims to significantly reduce plastic waste with its new electric toothbrush. From its aluminium brush handle to the corn starch brush head, this electric toothbrush is definitely setting itself apart from its plastic-rich rivals.

But is it any good? We got our hands, and teeth, on it to find out. Read our  review of the SURI sonic electric toothbrush to see if it's worth adding to your Christmas wish list.

What is the SURI sonic electric toothbrush?

The SURI is currently selling for £75, or £95 including UV travel case. It's on the expensive side when you compare its features with similarly priced alternatives, but it does have more environmentally friendly credentials in its favour. The specs on the SURI sonic toothbrush include:

• Inner workings are accessible and repairable Currently, those repairs can only be carried out by SURI (tinker yourself and you’ll invalidate the warranty), but it’s a big step in the right direction when you think of how many toothbrushes are discarded as soon as they stop working properly.
• Brush head made from plant-based materials The brush head is made of sustainably sourced corn starch and the bristles from castor oil.
• Aluminium brush handle Further reduces plastic waste.
• Travel case charger with built-in UV-C light SURI says the light kills 99.9% of bacteria on the brush head in one minute.
• Two-minute interval timer A useful function that lets you know when you've brushed for the dentist-recommended two minutes and prompts you to switch to a different section of the mouth every 30 seconds to ensure an even clean. The brush automatically turns off after two minutes to help conserve battery life.
• Sonic high-frequency vibrations The brush head on a sonic toothbrush vibrates at high speeds to break down plaque. Makers of sonic brushes claim they drive fluid (a mix of toothpaste, water and saliva) between teeth to help dislodge plaque.
• Two brushing modes Multiple brushing modes give you the chance to tailor your brushing to suit your needs. This SURI model has two settings; everyday clean and a slightly faster vibrating 'polish' mode.
• Magnetic mirror mount You can stick this adhesive-backed magnetic mount to your bathroom mirror and the aluminium brush handle will connect to it.
• Recyclable and compostable packaging Minimally packaged with materials that can be easily recycled or composted.
• 100-day money-back guarantee A reassuring chance to try it and see if you like it. You also get a one-year warranty, in case you do encounter any issues with it. That's shorter than the two-year warranty you get with Oral-B and Philips Sonicare electric toothbrushes, though.

Manual toothbrushes made from natural materials

If you're not prepared to fork out for a pricey electric model just yet, these manual toothbrushes also claim to be eco-friendly alternatives.

Bamboo toothbrushes

These are increasingly more widely available and you should be able to find a good selection to pick from, whether you're shopping online or on the high street.

Plenty of companies, such as Bristle, Brushbox, My Bamboo Brush and The Humble Co, offer subscription services, too, so you can have a fresh bamboo brush delivered to your door every couple of months or so.

If you're looking to pick up a bamboo toothbrush yourself in a shop, you'll have more luck finding them in independent health stores or bigger shops, such as Holland & Barrett and Whole Foods, than you will in the major supermarkets.

But that's beginning to change. Colgate has released its own bamboo toothbrush, which is available in most supermarkets and Boots, and costs around £4 (a pack of two is currently available in Tesco for £6).

Wisdom also has a bamboo toothbrush that can be found in Boots (£3). The Renew Bamboo even has 100% plant-based filaments, adding to its eco-friendly credentials.

Corn starch toothbrushes

These are slowly emerging as an alternative to the increasingly popular bamboo toothbrushes, although you won't find many companies making them just yet.

The Natural Family Co has biodegradable and compostable adult-sized options. A pack of two costs £8, and you'll find them online and in Boots and Holland & Barrett, although at the time of writing they're out of stock.

They're made from 100% cornstarch so can be composted once the nylon bristles are removed.

In addition to its bamboo toothbrush range, The Humble Co also has toothbrushes that are 70% corn starch and 30% polypropene (PP) plastic. These are a similarly good alternative to 100% plastic toothbrushes, but aren't compostable.

 Make changes for the planet and your pocket. Sign up for our Sustainability newsletter, it's free monthly

Manual toothbrushes with replaceable heads

There are a growing number of manual toothbrushes with replaceable heads on the market.

These allow you to keep the toothbrush handle and only replace the brush head, reducing your plastic usage and general waste.

Oral-B Clic toothbrush

The Oral-B Clic has a metallic handle, which can be kept as you swap in replaceable heads every few months. It isn't currently widely available in the UK right now, but you will find this toothbrush, with an additional head, online for around £47 at Amazon. Replacement brush heads currently cost about £10 each.

Oral-B claims the Clic will help you reduce the amount of plastic you use by 60% over a two-year period, when the heads are replaced every three months (in comparison with a standard plastic manual toothbrush).

Colgate Link toothbrush

The Colgate Link toothbrush, with its aluminium handle, is currently around half the price of the Oral-B Clic and also more widely available. You'll find it at most of the major UK supermarkets, as well as Boots and Amazon for £20, with replacement brush heads costing around £3.50 each.

Colgate says that by swapping one of its standard plastic manual toothbrushes for the Link, you'll cut plastic waste by 80%.

Barnaby's Brushes

Launched in 2018, Barnaby's Brushes runs with the same concept as the Oral-B Clic and the Colgate Link, but improves it with the use of replaceable bamboo brush heads instead of plastic ones.

Bamboo brush heads, with a choice of soft, medium or hard bristles, click into a sleek stainless-steel handle to create an eco-friendlier toothbrush.

It's currently £20.99 for the first purchase (handle with brush head) and replacement heads cost £3.50. You can also sign up for the subscription service, which will deliver replacement brush heads to you every one to three months.

The Humble Co toothbrush

The Humble Co sells a number of regular bamboo toothbrushes, but among its range is one with replaceable brush heads. You can buy a bamboo handle with three bamboo brush heads for £10 in Boots.

We asked dental experts to examine toothpaste claims to bring you toothpaste claims unpicked: is it worth paying more?