Zero waste oral care routine beginner guide

“Zero waste” is one of those terms that sounds like an all-or-nothing commitment — either you’re carrying a tote bag everywhere and making your own toothpaste or you haven’t really made the effort. That framing isn’t helpful, and it puts a lot of people off making any changes at all.

The more useful framing: every product you swap to a lower-waste alternative is a genuine improvement, regardless of what else is still plastic in your cabinet. Start with the easiest thing. Build from there. Here’s a practical guide to doing that in your oral care routine specifically.

Start with the toothbrush — it’s the easiest swap

The bamboo toothbrush swap is the most logical starting point for zero-waste oral care because it’s the simplest: you already buy toothbrushes. The switch requires no change in behaviour, just a change in what you buy. Same brushing routine, same replacement schedule, just a bamboo handle instead of plastic.

The result: four fewer plastic objects per person per year going to landfill. For a household of four, that’s sixteen toothbrushes per year, handled differently. Not a small thing when you multiply it across a decade.

The full breakdown of how bamboo compares to plastic is in our comparison guide here. The short version: cleaning performance is identical; environmental profile is significantly better. Our full range is here if you want to start today.

Toothpaste: the options range from easy to adventurous

Conventional toothpaste tubes are difficult to recycle — they’re typically multilayer plastic and aluminium — and most go straight to landfill. There are a few lower-waste alternatives at different levels of commitment:

Toothpaste tablets — compressed solid toothpaste that you chew briefly before brushing. They come in glass jars or compostable sachets, contain no water (which reduces transport emissions), and produce essentially zero packaging waste. The texture takes a few days to get used to. Most contain fluoride, which is important — check the label.

Toothpaste in glass jars — some brands sell conventional-consistency toothpaste in glass jars. Glass is infinitely recyclable. The product works exactly like tube toothpaste, just in different packaging.

Tube recycling programs — some brands have partnered with recycling programs (like TerraCycle) to accept toothpaste tubes. If you’re not ready to change the product, this is a way to handle the packaging better. Check availability in your area.

Whatever you choose: make sure it contains fluoride unless you have a specific dental reason to use fluoride-free paste. Fluoride remains the most effective evidence-based cavity prevention tool available in toothpaste. The ADA is clear on this and it’s worth not compromising on dental health in the name of sustainability.

Floss: the sneaky plastic item nobody talks about

Conventional dental floss is typically made from nylon, coated in plastic wax, and packaged in a plastic dispenser. The whole thing is non-recyclable.

Lower-waste alternatives:

• Silk floss in a glass or stainless steel dispenser — natural silk is biodegradable; most products in this category offer refillable dispensers. Not vegan, but genuinely biodegradable.
• Plant-based floss — made from corn or other plant fibres; biodegradable; often available in compostable packaging
• Water flossers — electric devices that use water pressure rather than thread. No disposable waste at all once you own the device. Not technically “zero waste” as a manufactured product, but zero ongoing waste per use.

Mouthwash: tabs, concentrates, and skipping it entirely

Conventional mouthwash is mostly water sold in a large plastic bottle. If you use mouthwash, there are better options:

• Mouthwash tablets — dissolve in water before use. Very low packaging footprint. Available with and without fluoride/antiseptic formulations.
• Concentrated mouthwash — a small bottle you dilute at home, reducing both packaging volume and transport emissions

If you only use mouthwash occasionally, it’s also worth asking whether you need it at all. For most people with good brushing habits, mouthwash is supplementary rather than essential. Your dentist can advise whether there’s a specific reason you should be using it.

Tongue scrapers: stainless steel lasts forever

A stainless steel tongue scraper costs a few dollars and lasts essentially forever. If you use a plastic tongue scraper or use your toothbrush for tongue cleaning, this is an easy and permanent swap.

A realistic approach to doing this all at once

Here’s the advice we’d give if a friend asked: don’t throw out your current oral care products and replace everything in one go. That wastes the products you already have, costs money upfront, and sets you up for a difficult adjustment period where everything feels different simultaneously.

Instead, replace products as they run out. Your toothbrush is typically the first thing to need replacing (every 3 months). When it does, switch to bamboo. When your toothpaste runs out, try a toothpaste tablet or a glass-jar option. When your floss runs out, try a plant-based or silk alternative.

Done this way, you’ll have a fully lower-waste oral care routine within six months without it feeling like a major disruption — and you’ll have tried each new product individually, giving you time to find the options that work best for you before committing to buying in bulk.

Start with the toothbrush. Ours are here.

Frequently Asked Questions