Asking your Dentist to Make Sustainable Changes
Week 13
Call me a cheapskate, but I went years without buying a toothbrush, using only the ones I got in the goodie bag during my bi-annual dental visits. Even if I'm the only person saving money this way, I know that everyone who goes to the dentist receives a little goodie bag with a toothbrush and maybe even some other oral care products. This week, I'm writing to ask if my dentist might consider giving out bamboo toothbrushes instead of plastic ones, or set up a toothbrush recycling drop-off.
Good afternoon,
I've been a patient at (Insert Dental Practice Here) for almost five years. I have had nothing but positive experiences and the hygienists always manage to make my bi-annual teeth cleaning bareable.
This year, I've been working on reducing my waste and after my last visit, I started to realize how many plastic toothbrushes I've thrown away. This lead me to a National Geographic article that pointed out how toothbrushes aren't curbside recyclable, so the US produces 85 million pounds of toothbrush waste every year. The article also mentioned that these plastic toothbrushes take hundreds of years to break down, which means every toothbrush made since the 1930s still exists as a piece of trash somewhere.
I'm reaching out to see if your office would consider handing out bamboo toothbrushes instead of plastic toothbrushes in your goodie bags, as a way to prevent thousands of plastic toothbrushes from ending up in our landfills. Another option could be to offer a toothbrush recycling drop-off at your office. Terracycle and Colgate have teamed up to make a recycling program for dental products like toothbrushes, toothpaste containers, and even floss. You could collect these items from your patients, then print out one of their free shipping labels to mail them off.
Sustainability and our environment have been a rising concern for the majority of Americans, so I'm certain your patients would appreciate the eco-minded effort.
Thank you so much for you time,
Alexandra Hall