Can I recycle my Pearlii products?

With 3.5 billion toothbrushes sold each year, toothbrushes account for a heck of a lot of waste!

Which is one reason why we’ve strived to minimise waste with our sustainable dental-care product range, by using biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable materials in our products.

But before we give you some tips on how to dispose of your used Pearlii products, do we all know what these words actually mean?

Let us first give you a quick breakdown before offering some disposal recommendations.

I have this memory which has always stuck with me.

I remember being a young kid and going for a drive with the rest of my family. My sister was eating an apple, and after finishing, proceeded to throw her apple core out the window. Much to the displeasure of my Dad, who firmly told her ‘not to litter’, her response was “it’s okay Dad, it’s biodegradable!!”.

And she wasn’t wrong. That apple core would eventually naturally break down on the side of the road and ‘biodegrade’, thanks to all those cute little microorganisms eating it up. Thanks, microorganism pals. nomnomnom

But, depending on the material, the process of bio-degrading and disintegrating back into the earth can take a long, long time. Unlike my sister’s apple core, which would biodegrade in months; a plastic toothbrush can take up to 500 years or more to decompose!

On the other hand, something which is compostable, will break down in a specific timeframe, when under defined conditions (a moist, warm and aerobic environment). This compost can then be used for soil health to invigorate plant life.

So, everything that is compostable is biodegradable. However, just because something is biodegradable, does not mean that it’s compostable.

As mentioned, our products vary from being recyclable, to compostable and biodegradable. So let us narrow down each of our products, and fill you in on some ways to dispose of them… starting with our bamboo toothbrush: the ‘Mosobrush’.

Compostable ✔️
Biodegradable ✔️
Recyclable packaging ✔️

This thing can go straight into the compost. Yep, that’s right. Your Mosobrush will break down alongside your other food waste. This is because the handle is made from Moso bamboo, and the bristles from castor bean oil. That makes for a 100% plant-based toothbrush (no pandas were harmed in the making of this toothbrush).

But if you’re not ready to say goodbye to your Mosobrush just yet, why not try upcycling it? Works great as a ‘moss stick’ for your smaller plants, to help them grow up nice and straight. We call this the Moso Stick. Get it?

Your Mosobrush packaging (along with all our packaging) can go straight in the recycling bin.

Compostable ✔️
Biodegradable ✔️
Recyclable packaging ✔️

Yes, all the above are ticked. But not fast!

Before you go chucking your Biofloss Easy Picks into the compost, be sure to remove the floss from the handle first. Whilst the pick handles are 100% biodegradable and toxic-free, the floss thread itself will need to be binned.

As far as the packaging goes, please kindly place these in your recycling bin and dispose of the sheaths in your general waste bin.

Recyclable ✔️

You have a couple of options for recycling your Zero-Waste Whitening Toothpaste tubes.

You can recycle it along with your other recyclables for roadside collection! Our tubes are made from platina, which is sustainable and completely recyclable tube. But please check your local council’s website first, to confirm they accept HDPE #2 plastic.

Alternatively, feel free to send us your empty tubes. We recycle our products through TerraCycle, using their Zero Waste Box system. Our postal address can be found on your product packaging. Please make sure to squeeze out any excess toothpaste from the tube first!

Compostable ✔️
Biodegradable ✔️
Recyclable packaging ✔️

Feel free to chuck both these items into your compost heap - though we hope these trusty toothbrush companions will last you many years before you need to do that!

Before you dispose of your Home Teeth Whitening Kit, remember that the mouth tray can be used again, and again, and again!

If you are wanting to keep up your new whitening routine, keep hold of your mouth tray and cable, and stock up on our Gel Refills. Our Gel Refills include three new syringes, to use with your already-owned mouth tray. If you do need to get rid of your mouth tray however, please send it back to us, and we can have it recycled through TerraCycle.

The syringes on the other hand aren’t able to be recycled, due to being considered ’medical waste’. But that doesn’t mean you can’t think of your own unique ways to upcycle them.

They’re great for kids! Try filling them up with paint, and let your little ones create masterpieces that would make Jackson Pollock proud. Because who needs to apply a paintbrush to a canvas to make art?!

They’re also lots of fun for the little ones in the bathtub. After giving them a clean, fill the syringe with bathwater, and let them squirt their little hearts out.

Or for those of us with plant babies rather than actual babies, try using them for watering your smaller sized plants.

The options are endless really, so let your creativity run wild.

And your sturdy box can be reused for… anything you might want to store in a box? If not, in the recycling bin it goes.

All of our products are a mixture of being biodegradable, compostable and recyclable.

If you ever get stuck on what to do with them, we have handy little tips on all our packaging to guide you in the right direction, or feel free to bookmark this page for future reference.

And as always, we at Pearlii are always here to answer any questions you might have.

The earth smiles widely upon you!