Rethink Oral Care Waste: Easy Recycling for National Children’s Dental Health Month

TRENTON, NJ (March 3, 2025) – March is National Children's Dental Health Month, a time dedicated to building lifelong oral care habits that promote strong teeth and healthy smiles. While regular brushing and flossing are key to oral health, with nearly 1.5 billion toothpaste tubes discarded each year, remembering to recycle the waste these habits generate is important for the planet.

As a global leader in sustainability, TerraCycle makes it easy to pair good oral care with responsible waste management. By offering recycling options for individuals and dental clinics, TerraCycle collects and recycles used toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, and packaging, and processes the materials into raw materials used to create new products.

“Oral care products are essential to daily hygiene, yet the waste they create is often overlooked,” said Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle. “Toothpaste tubes, floss containers, and toothbrushes are typically discarded without a second thought, but TerraCycle offers several easy solutions to keep these materials out of landfill. Whether through our free recycling programs, Zero Waste Boxes, or ClinicCycle for dental offices, we make it simple for individuals and clinics to recycle their oral care waste responsibly.”

TerraCycle’s Free Recycling Programs offer an easy way to recycle oral care packaging. Participants can join the program that best suits their needs, download a prepaid shipping label, and send in their waste for recycling. Available programs include:

• ARM & HAMMER™ Toothpaste Free Recycling Program
• Colgate® Oral Care Free Recycling Program 
• Colgate® Wisp® Free Recycling Program
• Tom’s of Maine Free Recycling Program

For broader recycling needs, TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Boxes™ offer an all-in-one solution. These paid recycling options allow individuals and businesses to collect hard-to-recycle items and send them to TerraCycle using a prepaid shipping label. Once received, the waste is sorted, cleaned, and processed into raw materials used to manufacture new products.

• Bathroom Separation - Zero Waste Box
• Oral Care Waste and Packaging - Zero Waste Box

Dental offices and clinics can also recycle through ClinicCycle, a specialized solution designed to manage hard-to-recycle waste commonly generated in clinical settings. By incorporating specialized ClinicCycle Zero Waste Boxes, dental facilities can responsibly recycle a wide range of waste materials, including:

• ClinicCycle Disposable Gloves – Zero Waste Box
• ClinicCycle Disposable Masks – Zero Waste Box
• ClinicCycle Dental Aligners – Zero Waste Box
• ClinicCycle Oral Care Waste and Packaging – Zero Waste Box

To learn more about how TerraCycle partners with businesses to recycle hard-to-recycle waste, visit terracycle.com. Clinics looking to improve their sustainability efforts can get started today by visiting https://shop.terracycle.com/en-US/pages/cliniccycle. 

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 21 countries, TerraCycle is on a mission to eliminate waste and develop practical solutions for today’s complex waste challenges. The company engages an expansive multi-stakeholder community across a wide range of accessible programs, from Fortune 500 companies to schools and individuals. 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.