{"id":18651,"date":"2015-05-18T13:18:50","date_gmt":"2015-05-18T17:18:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=18651"},"modified":"2015-05-18T13:18:50","modified_gmt":"2015-05-18T17:18:50","slug":"tio-a-unique-take-on-the-eco-friendly-toothbrush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/tio-a-unique-take-on-the-eco-friendly-toothbrush\/","title":{"rendered":"TIO: A Unique Take On The Eco-Friendly Toothbrush"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"tio<\/a><\/p>\n

Got a toothbrush? Of course you do. What will you do with it when it’s time to replace it? Throw it away, right – these kinds of consumer products generally can’t go in the recycling bin. While there are greener options out there – toothbrushes made from recycled plastic<\/a> or renewable materials like bamboo and wood – they’re generally based on the same overall principle: buy a toothbrush, use it for 2-3 months, throw the whole thing away (although a few options are recyclable). Rinse and repeat…<\/p>\n

This model works great for toothbrush manufacturers, but it’s not so good for the environment: about 50 million pounds of these consumer products get tossed every year<\/a>. What if manufacturers of toothbrushes took a look at a different model – say, the shaving razor – for inspiration? In other words, create a toothbrush where the part that gets used up – the head – can be replaced on a reusable handle? That would reduce a lot of waste, wouldn’t it?<\/p>\n

That’s the approach German designers\u00a0Fabian Ghoshal and Benjamin Beck (above) have taken with TIO<\/a>, a design that incorporates bioplastics with a replaceable head and reusable packaging. Take a look at their concept:<\/p>\n