Whether you are looking for a more sustainable, lower waste or healthier option for your daily oral care regimen, there are many benefits to using bamboo toothbrushes.
What is a bamboo toothbrush?
A bamboo toothbrush in essence is very much like a regular standard toothbrush but its handle is made of bamboo instead of plastic.
National Geographic estimates approximately one billion toothbrushes are thrown out each year in the United States. This alone equates to 50 million pounds of waste. If everyone else around the world followed, the recommendations of dental practitioners to swap out their toothbrush every 3 or 4 months that would lead to over 23 billion toothbrushes being trashed annually.
A majority of these toothbrushes are not recyclable because the composite plastics most are now made of are close to impossible to break apart efficiently. Toothbrushes used to be made from all-natural materials; they began to be manufactured out of plastics about a century ago.
The convenience of plastic has come at an enormous cost to the planet: Some 9.1 billion tons of plastic have been produced since the material was first mass produced in the 1950s, and 91% of it is not recycled. The material does not biodegrade, so it will remain in our environment for hundreds of years, breaking into tiny particles that can be swept into the ocean and end up in our food chain.
Biodegradable or bio-based plastics are not always better for the planet than traditional plastic, either because they do not actually break down well or because they have complicated environmental footprints in their own right.
Lark toothbrushes in particular are made from 100% natural moso bamboo. The handle is fully compostable, recyclable and biodegradable. The bristles are made from BPA-free nylon, which is easily recyclable. We chose moso for several reasons:
🌱 Zero pesticides: Bamboo does not require any pesticides or chemical fertilizers for healthy growth.
💨 CO2 Neutral: Moso outperforms all other bamboos and hardwood varieties in carbon dioxide absorption and oxygen production.
🐼No Starving Pandas: Giant pandas do not eat moso bamboo rather opting for species like arrow. By choosing moso as a raw product, we do not endanger the livelihoods of pandas.
♾️ Endless Resource: Annual harvest of mature stems does not harm the mother plant.
📈 Rapid Regeneration: Moso is the most rapidly growing plant on the planet. It grows at an amazing speed of about 1 meter daily.
Switching to bamboo is one way to take another step toward minimizing your environmental impact- one brush at a time. Environmental friendliness aside, our bamboo toothbrushes also have a host of other benefits.
- Ergonomic Design
Lighter than your standard toothbrush, you will not feel like you are lifting dumbbells as you brush. Also equipped with a curved head that makes difficult to clean areas easier to reach.
- Tapered bristles
The ideal bristle configuration for a more efficient clean both on the tooth surface and within the gum margin and interdental areas.
- Vegan
Not all bamboo toothbrushes are made equal. Some bamboo toothbrushes are made from boar hairs. Yes, you read that right. Lark brushes are 100% vegan.
- Aesthetically Pleasing
We might be biased on this one but we feel our bamboo toothbrushes are much classier looking than their cheap plastic cousins are. They are minimal and will pair well with any setting you place them.
Still not convinced? Here are some additional features
- Your toothbrushes come packaged in compostable and recyclable material
- The toothbrush handle is heat treated to reduce molding
- Smooth non-splintering finish
Make the switch today.