Electric toothbrushes are favored by dentists and users alike for how clean they get your teeth. Unfortunately, their effect on the environment isn't the same, and one Redditor shared an extreme example of this. 

What's happening?

In a post to the r/Anticonsumption forum, a user pointed out the sheer wastefulness of one company's electric toothbrush. 

"Electric Toothbrush with non-replaceable battery, seriously?" they wrote above a photo of the toothbrush and its packaging. "My electric toothbrush finally died on me, so I bought a new one without looking much at the packaging." 

Circled in orange is a section on the back of the package that reads "includes non-replaceable battery (lasts about 3 months). Non-replaceable brush head." 

These two facts, in effect, make this a disposable toothbrush, albeit one with a battery. 

"Whoever made this should be sent directly to prison for life, just to set an example, eventually we would have less waste in this world," stated Reddit one user.

"Who is at fault, the capitalist or the consumer?" challenged a second.  

"If we could elect actual environmental progressives this s*** would be illegal," said a third. "Sadly so few people care." 

Why is the toothbrush troublesome?

Trash is a major environmental issue. So, products that should last years, if not lifetimes, but instead are built to last a mere three months and then be tossed out feel unnecessarily problematic. 

American households alone produce nearly 300 million tons of trash per year, which averages out to around five pounds per person per day. Of the 300 million tons, about 40 million tons are plastic waste, like this toothbrush, only about 5% of which gets recycled in the United States, according to a Greenpeace estimate. 

Once in the landfill, the trash emits loads of planet-warming pollution as it breaks down, and plastic garbage, which can take tens to hundreds of years to decompose, creates microplastics — plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in length — as it does. 

These particles clog our waters, becoming conduits for pathogens, and have been found everywhere, from clouds to human hearts and lungs. 

Then there is the battery. Since it can't be replaced, most users will likely throw the toothbrush away with the battery inside. 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, batteries typically should not go in household garbage or recycling, as they "can contain metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, nickel, and silver, which can pose a threat to human health or the environment when improperly managed at the end of their service life."

What can we do to help?

As pointed out in several comments, such as the one asking whether the capitalist or the consumer is to blame, this is a complicated issue. That said, we can all make changes in our daily lives to cut down on this type of needless waste. 

The OP said that they should have checked the packaging more closely. 

While companies do have a role to play in making choices that are less harmful to the planet, we, as consumers, also need to hold them accountable for doing so. We can read product packaging carefully and do research to make sure we are supporting eco-friendly brands. 

We can also find plastic-free alternatives for everyday products, even our electric toothbrushes. For example, TCD editors are big fans of the plant-based toothbrush kit from Nathan & Sons, which replaces conventional petroleum-based nylon bristles with plant-derived bristles made from castor oil seeds. By rethinking everyday essentials — from toothbrushes to chewing gum — Nathan & Sons aims to make small daily habits healthier for people and better for the planet.

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