Page 2 / News, Trends, Gossip and Stuff To Do : Bits ‘n’ Pieces : White Teeth the Green Way

Although toothbrushes don’t look like an environmental threat, it’s estimated that they account for more than 50 million pounds of plastic waste annually in U.S. landfills.

“And that’s if you’re only replacing them twice a year,” said Eric Hudson, 37, a Boston businessman who considers himself an environmentalist. So when he launched Recycline Inc. with the goal of making quality products from recycled materials, he started with a toothbrush.

His new Preserve toothbrush is environmentally and periodontally correct, he said.

“I started from the concept that I didn’t feel my toothbrush was doing what my dentist told me it should, so I talked to a lot of dentists and got suggestions.”

He came up with a curved-handle design that encourages the Bass technique, which many dentists recommend. It’s a back-and-forth motion along the gum line, cupping the teeth at a 45-degree angle, which facilitates plaque removal, said Hudson, who brushes “twice a day, if not more.”

The handle of the ecologically responsible toothbrush is made entirely from recycled plastic, and it comes with a postage-paid return mailer so a customer can complete the cycle. “We grind it to make material for recycled plastic lumber,” Hudson said.

Right now the return rate is only about 5%, which, he said, is disappointing, but he has high hopes for the California market where it has just been introduced. “Los Angeles is a good recycling city--I’ve seen all the bins on the streets,” he said.

In Los Angeles, the toothbrush is sold at Wild Oats, Trader Joe’s, Rainbow Acres and ErewhonNatural Foods. Suggested price is $3.79. A kid-size brush will be along next year.

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Information: (888) 354-7296 or https://www.recycline.com.