How to reduce plastic tube by tube

Almost two thirds of people are not aware that you cannot recycle toothpaste tubes1. 

Colgate^® is proud to launch a first-of-its kind recyclable toothpaste tube setting a new  standard for the industry. This breakthrough technology has been shared with competitors  as part of Colgate’s campaign to transform one of the most widely used forms of plastic  packaging. Colgate^® is committed to make 100% of packaging recyclable by 2025, building a  future to smile about. 

Most of today’s toothpaste tubes are made from sheets of plastic laminate – usually a  combination of different plastics – sandwiched around a thin layer of aluminium. The mix of  materials makes it impossible to recycle through conventional methods. Colgate^® Smile for  Good toothpaste changes this, using High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), the plastic used to  make milk jugs and other plastic bottles that is already widely recycled. 

Colgate^® Bamboo Charcoal Toothbrush 

The Colgate Bamboo Charcoal Toothbrush is made with 100% natural, biodegradable  bamboo handle* and is free from plastic packaging, so it's a great choice for  environmentally conscious people.

Colgate® Oral Care Recycling Programme 

Colgate® is working with TerraCycle® to recycle oral care products and packaging preventing  them from ending up in landfill sites across the UK. Once collected, the oral care products  and packaging are separated by polymer type, cleaned, and extruded into plastic pellets to  make new recycled products.  

CRANFORD Park Primary School’s new playground has been made using more than 300,000  recycled oral care products, including toothbrushes, tubes, electric toothbrush heads and  toothbrush and toothpaste packaging. It’s the first of its kind in the UK and was completed  in partnership with Colgate® and TerraCycle®.

To learn more about Colgate’s Sustainability Strategy, visit  

http://www.colgatepalmolive.com/en-us/core-values/sustainability

** Toothbrush handle made with 100% natural bamboo. The tube and the carton are recyclable. *** Remove bristles. Compostable in municipal compost facilities, where available. 1. Colgate-Palmolive, The Conscious Consumer survey, July 2019, n=800 UK respondents