Luckily I have a spare all ready to go in the bathroom and I won't have to debate about which free toothbrush alternative to adopt (stick, dental floss and mouthwash combo or charcoal/cactus spike duo). I've been told to change out my toothbrush every six months for my entire life. If I hadn't received a free toothbrush from the dentist at each visit, I probably would have paid more attention to my toothbrush usage and disposal. But now that I have to contemplate the source to address every potential need, toothbrushes are coming to the forefront!
Up until a few years ago my pattern was: use, receive free replacement and throw away old brush. During some time in China a few years ago, I noticed that the Chinese government was in the middle of a major campaign to promote dental care among citizens. This was apparent when: A) I saw posters of people brushing their teeth in most public areas, B) one of my students gave me a note on a postcard advertising toothpaste, and C) I went hiking in the mountains and on the edges of a stream bed I saw hundreds and hundreds of plastic tooth brushes. The colorful plastic flotsam was striking against the brown mud and green plants of the waterway. It was easy for me to dismiss the scene as just one of the issues plaguing China as it develops. But ever since then I have wondered about the toothbrushes I have disposed of during my lifetime. Are they floating down some Oregon creeks toward the ocean?
My friend Party Jon and I are equally bugged by the standard toothbrush, yet neither of us has invested in anything like the Eco-dent toothbrush, a German toothbrush that comes with replacement heads. I think it's because I wish there was a complete alternative to using a plastic brush at all. Perhaps a bamboo toothbrush? Well shit. It exists: http://www.environmentaltoothbrush.com.au/ Apparently Australia is all hip to the environmental side of the toothbrush dilemma while New Zealand has taken another route:
Nice job, Te Pahu!
Either way, they've still got us Americans beat. Beyond recyling my toothbrushes and hoping they don't end up in a waterway, or speculating alternatives like chewing on a stick, I haven't come up with a good alternative for that free toothbrush from the dentist office. When I have the option to buy new items again, I just might try the Aussie bamboo brush.
What I have come up with is a great disposable razor alternative! Despite my friend Britt Q sending me the link to an article about how to make your disposable razor last longer, I still reached a point when I needed to find a razor alternative (for free) or just go hairy for the rest of the year. Let's just say that I'm a brunette so it was an easy decision. Thinking about shaving made me remember being a little girl and chattering away to my dad while he shaved his cheeks and neck, accommodating his big beard. I remembered his razor exactly (the end of it looked like a gear shift), and more so, I remembered him just changing the blades instead of throwing the whole thing away. The next time I went home I asked my mom about it, and she not only still had the razor, but tucked in the medicine cabinet were two boxes of Schick injector blades! The whole system is pretty awesome - the old blade is pushed out when you insert the new blade and then you put the used blade back in the case and can recycle it all together. Score. My mom also pulled out an old women's Gillette razor that takes full sized razor blades. It looks way classier than those pink plastic Venus razors at the grocery store. I like shaving with a razor that has some weight to it. It doesn't slip out of my hand and despite dealing with razor blades, I have not cut myself. How did plastic disposable razors become the norm? The don't necessarily make our lives any easier- you still have to shave. If anything, disposing of something on a regular basis seems more complicated than using a product and changing out one part when it gets worn out. I am happy to use my vintage razors and even happier to be reminded of my dad and mom when I do!
Your dad would laugh out loud, that wonderful laugh of his, when he saw you using his razor. Of course, he'd agree with what you're doing. He was the first person I know who recycled and reused. None of us had much money, so reducing consumption was not much of an issue. peace and love, b.
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