Bathroom & personal care
Plastic toothbrush → wood handle, natural or replaceable bristles
A wooden handle cuts most of the plastic — but nearly all bristles are still nylon.
Swap Priority
56/100
Worth doing
Swap Priority 56 out of 100: Worth doing- Plastic avoided
- ≈ 80 g a year
- Typical cost
- £3 – £6
- Swap from
- Plastic toothbrush
- Last reviewed
- 26 September 2026
How strong is the evidence?
How the dials work- Exposure evidenceHow strong is the evidence that the plastic version exposes you to microplastics or plastic chemicals?
- Weak · 1/4
- Environmental evidenceHow strong is the evidence that this swap cuts environmental harm over the product's whole life?
- Emerging · 2/4
- Claim verificationHow well has the alternative's plastic-free claim been verified?
- No product yet
Why swap
Toothbrushes are replaced every three months and none are recycled at home. A wooden handle removes most of the plastic, even though bristles usually remain nylon.
What to look for
- Solid wood or bamboo handle with no coating
- Natural bristles if you accept animal hair, or brushes with replaceable heads
Watch out for
- "Plant-based" or "castor-bean" bristles are still nylon — plastic
- "Nylon-4" is claimed to biodegrade, but it is still plastic
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