How many tubes of toothpaste do you think you’ve used in your life? Think of a number. Now, think of the fact that it takes the average tube of toothpaste 500 years to break down. When you factor in all the tubes you’ve used and all the tubes everyone else you know has used, it adds up to an environmental nightmare. But what if those pesky toothpaste tubes were made of something biodegradable?
Every year, 1.5 billion tubes of toothpaste go into landfills. It will take each and every single one of those tubes 500 years to break down. But this sustainable toothpaste from Rocc Naturals is aiming to help manage this ever-growing plastic crisis. It’s packaged in biodegradable tubes, which can be a big step toward lessening the plastics nightmare the Earth currently finds itself in. These tubes break down in six to 10 years, and they don’t turn into harmful microplastics.
In fact, all of the packaging is designed to be sustainable. The cap and box are recyclable, and the paper stock is sustainably sourced. In Australian supermarkets where this toothpaste is sold off of the shelf, the trays on the shelves are recyclable as well.
The toothpaste itself is safe, too. The formula inside the tubes is packed with vitamins and minerals, and it has a classic, minty taste.
National Geographic named plastic pollution one of the “most pressing environmental issues.” Plastic trash is absolutely everywhere. It’s filling up landfills and the oceans, wreaking havoc on marine life. Plastic production and sales skyrocketed at the end of WWII, but plastic consumption is still on the rise, with half of all plastics ever manufactured being made in the last 15 years alone. Plastic production increased from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons 65 years later, in 2015.
Products like the toothpaste from Rocc Naturals are designed to help reduce this problem and, in effect, take at least one small step toward saving the world.
Finally, fully biodegradable toothpaste tubes are here [Inhabitat]