Free resource for dental clinics
Toothbrush recycling notice for dental clinics
Many clinics were drop-off points for the free Colgate and TerraCycle oral care recycling program. It closed to the public in August 2025, and the last date for clinics to send their boxes was set as 30 December 2026. Patients will keep bringing old brushes in, and clinic websites still invite them to. This is a ready-made notice for the waiting room, and text for your website, on what patients can do instead. Free to print, copy and adapt. Checked .
Download the notice (PDF, A4, one page)
What the notice tells patients
- Plastic toothbrush: general waste, not the recycling bin. It’s too small for the sorting machines and made of several plastics fused together.
- Electric toothbrush: the handle has a battery, so it goes to an e-waste or battery drop-off point. Used heads go in general waste.
- Bamboo toothbrush: most have nylon bristles, which are plastic. Pull them out with pliers; bristles and staples go in general waste, and the bare handle can go in a home compost.
- Still want it recycled: the options now are paid (TerraCycle’s Oral Care Zero Waste Box and Banish’s BRAD collection), or a council collection where one runs.
Current prices and sources are in our guide to recycling a toothbrush in Australia. For councils and community groups there’s a general resident handout with the same advice.
Use it in your clinic or on your site
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Edit it to suit your clinic, and please credit The BARE Brush with a link to this page. Want a copy with your clinic’s name and logo on it? Ask us and we’ll send one.
Text for your website (FAQ or recycling page)
Do you still collect old toothbrushes?
Not any more. The free Colgate and TerraCycle oral care recycling program behind our collection box has ended for us. It closed to the public in August 2025, and the last date for clinics to send their boxes was set as 30 December 2026.
What to do instead:
Plastic toothbrush: general waste bin. It's too small and made of mixed plastics, so it can't go in the recycling bin.
Electric toothbrush: the handle has a battery, so it never goes in a bin; take it to an e-waste or battery drop-off point. Used brush heads go in general waste.
Bamboo toothbrush: most have nylon bristles, which are plastic. Pull them out with pliers; bristles and the small metal staples go in general waste. The bare handle can go in a home compost.
If you'd still like your brushes recycled, the remaining known options are paid: TerraCycle's Oral Care Zero Waste Box and Banish's BRAD collection. Your local council may also run a collection.
Source: The BARE Brush (CC BY 4.0).Credit link (HTML), to go with the text
Toothbrush recycling notice for dental clinics, <a href="https://thebarebrush.com.au/resources/dental-clinic-toothbrush-notice">The BARE Brush</a>, CC BY 4.0. The BARE Brush sells toothbrushes.Made by The BARE Brush, a small Australian-owned business. We sell toothbrushes, so we have an interest; this notice doesn’t recommend any brand, ours included, and gives no dental advice.