Ever wondered what to do with your old toothbrush? It's tricky to know, isn’t it? Because they aren’t recyclable. The composite plastic used to create them doesn’t break apart efficiently and chunks get stuck in the recycling machinery.
Sure you can expand their life span as they come in handy for cleaning all kinds of things in the hard to reach places in the bathroom and kitchen (after it's retired from cleaning your teeth, of course). But eventually, you will need to throw it away and what to do with it? Well, have you ever considered turning it into a surfboard?
From sink to ocean
Understandably, it's not the first thing that you might think of, but it is exactly what Scandinavian dental care company Jordan is doing. Two years after launching their ecological Green Clean line made exclusively out of recycled and sustainable materials, the company decided more has to be done to protect the environment and launched the Recycle to Surf initiative and will take your old brush and turn it into something that is actually meant to be in the ocean.
They have put collection points for toothbrushes in all Go Natural Supermarkets as well as in the entrance to schools and various clinics all over Portugal. Here you can deposit your old toothbrush (of any brand) and for every 15 kilos of brushes collected, Jordan will donate an adapted surfboard to the SURFaddict - Associação Portuguesa de Surf Adaptado. The company says that this initiative protects the environment as it ensures that your ex-toothbrush doesn’t end up in a landfill and at the same time it allows people with disabilities to get out into the water and catch some waves.
To find out more about this project including where exactly you can find these recycling bins please visit: www.jordan-portugal.pt/recycle-to-surf/