Toothbrushes
- DON’T put toothbrushes in curbside recycling
- DO drop off plastic toothbrushes at an acceptable recycling location
- DO look for toothbrushes that use less new plastic material
About These Items
Most toothbrushes sold at local stores are made of plastics. These plastic items are too small to be included in Pittsburgh’s curbside recycling. But don’t throw them in the trash, as they take 400 years to decompose. Instead, consider mailing them into Preserve’s Gimme 5 program (see below)
There are also some toothbrushes available that are made from recycled plastics or wooden handles. Consider purchasing toothbrushes that minimize the amount of new plastic introduced into our environment.
Mail in to the Gimme 5 program.
Preserve runs a collection program called Gimme 5 that accepts #5 plastics, all plastic caps, prescription bottles, toothbrushes, and dip & dairy containers. You can mail in your #5 plastics to the Gimme 5 program. (To make this mail-in recycling program as environmentally-friendly as possible, Preserve encourages you to reuse a box and pack it densely, and if possible, ship by ground.) Mail to:
Preserve Gimme 5
823 State Route 13
Cortland, NY 13045-6574
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