Americans Throw Away a Billion Toothbrushes a Year. Here's What to Do About It

June 25, 2026

This National Toothbrush Day, TerraCycle’s recycling solutions make it simple to keep oral care waste out of the landfill

Americans Throw Away a Billion Toothbrushes a Year. Here's What to Do About It

TRENTON, N.J. (June 24, 2026) - Americans go through roughly one billion toothbrushes every year, and it’s not hard to see why. Dental health guidelines recommend replacing your brush every three to four months, and across a population of over 330 million people, that adds up fast. The problem is, what happens next? As most toothbrushes are made from mixed plastics that municipal recycling won’t accept, the vast majority go straight to the landfill. The same is true for toothpaste tubes and floss containers. TerraCycle, an international recycling leader in innovative sustainability solutions, offers Americans a straightforward way to collect and recycle all their oral care packaging and products.

“Brushing your teeth is one of the most universal daily habits on the planet, which makes the waste it generates one of the most significant and overlooked waste streams we offer solutions for,” said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle Founder and CEO. “Toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, and floss containers are products designed for single use, made from materials that conventional recycling infrastructure was never designed to handle. As a result, large numbers of these items end up in landfills every year without a second thought. TerraCycle designed and built recycling solutions for waste streams like this one, where the materials are too complex for municipal systems, the scale is too large to ignore, and the problem is too solvable to accept as inevitable.”

National Toothbrush Day is a reminder that one of the most essential tools in your daily routine deserves a second look, not just for what it does for your smile, but for what happens to it when you’re done. TerraCycle offers free and paid recycling options to fit every household.

Through free recycling programs sponsored by leading oral care brands, participants sign up, collect and recycle their oral care packaging, and ship it to TerraCycle at no cost using a prepaid FedEx or UPS shipping label. Available programs include:

For households, dental offices, and businesses seeking a more comprehensive recycling solution, TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box and Zero Waste Bag options make it easy to recycle a wide range of oral care items. Select the size and option that fits your needs, fill it with the designated waste stream, and return it to TerraCycle using the prepaid shipping label.

For higher-volume needs, Zero Waste Boxes are well-suited for dental offices and businesses managing larger quantities of oral care items:

For individuals and families, Zero Waste Bag offers a convenient at-home option for recycling everyday oral care items.

Once received, all items collected through TerraCycle’s free recycling programs and Zero Waste solutions are recycled into raw materials used to manufacture new products.

To learn more about TerraCycle's recycling solutions for oral care and other hard-to-recycle items, visit terracycle.com.

About TerraCycle

TerraCycle is an international leader in innovative sustainability solutions, creating and operating first-of-their-kind platforms in recycling, recycled materials, and reuse. Across 18 countries, TerraCycle is on a mission to eliminate the idea of waste and develop practical solutions for today’s complex waste challenges. The company engages an expansive multi-stakeholder community, from Fortune 500 companies to schools and households, across a wide range of accessible programs and has raised millions for schools and nonprofits since its founding more than 20 years ago. To learn more about TerraCycle and join them on their journey to move the world from a linear economy to a circular one, please visit www.terracycle.com.

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