The first-of-its-kind recyclable toothpaste tube

Introducing

The first-of-its-kind
recyclable toothpaste tube.

2USE IT

Enjoy! Squeeze and use as usual, until the toothpaste runs out.

1BUY SMART

By reaching for this toothpaste tube you're actively making a difference.

3RECYCLE IT

Our recyclable tube is not meant for a landfill it gets turned into useful products.

Together we can make a difference.

Made for the Future: The Recyclable Tube

We're so excited to bring this recyclable technology to life. Billions of toothpaste tubes end up in landfills every year. As the leaders in the oral care industry, we wanted to create a recyclable alternative. With this breakthrough, we're proudly helping to build a better future for generations to come. And we are sharing this technology with all other companies - we believe it's that important!

Momentum is building as we work to educate about our new recyclable tube!  During this transition phase, your community may not yet accept tubes for recycling. Consumers should check with their local community programs.

How to recycle

 

How to Recycle?

How do I recycle the tube? Do I need to cut open and remove all the leftover toothpaste in the tube, or rinse it out somehow?

LEARN MORE

 

What it tube made from

 

What is this tube made of?

The tube is primarily made of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene), #2 plastic. The cap is made of PP (Polypropelyene), #5 plastic.

LEARN MORE

 

Sharing technology

 

Why do we share our
tube technology?

This project isn’t about us, it’s about something bigger. By sharing our technology hopefully we can initiate a global shift to recyclable toothpaste tubes. Our dream is to have all tubes (not just toothpaste) be recycled in practice and at scale.

 

After recycle

 

What are you doing to ensure these tubes are accepted by recycling facilities?

We've been sharing the technology and partnering with third parties to help turn "recyclable" into widely accepted and "recycled." During this transition phase, however, your community may not yet accept tubes for recycling. Consumers should check with their local community programs.

LEARN MORE

 

Questions? Find them here.

  • How do I recycle the tube?

    Do I need to cut open and remove all the leftover toothpaste in the tube, or rinse it out somehow?
    First, check to be sure that your tube has one of these symbols on it:

    recycle-tube-hdpe-logo
    recycle-tube-logo

    We are transitioning our entire toothpaste portfolio across the world to recyclable tubes. This effort began in 2019 and will be completed by 2025, so not all tubes will immediately be recyclable. It's important that if your tube does not have this flag on it that you don't put it into your recycling bin.

    If your tube has one of these symbols, then recycling is easy. Simply squeeze out as much of the toothpaste from the tube as you can, put the cap back on and place the tube in your recycling bin. Our tube recycles with #2 HDPE plastics.

    Please don't cut open the toothpaste tube to try and remove excess toothpaste! During the processing of the tube at the recycling facility, the tube is ground up and goes through a "rinsing" process, where all the residual toothpaste is washed off the plastic. So there's no need for you to do any rinsing at home.

  • Are the caps recyclable?

    Yes, caps are technically recyclable and the best practice is to replace the cap on the Tube before placing it in the recycling bin. Doing so will help avoid litter of caps. Caps are made of a different plastic than the tube and thus some recyclers might prefer the caps to be removed before tubes are recycled. Please check your local recycling rules to be sure. We are continuing with our research to convert all of ours caps into a more compatable material with the HDPE stream.

  • What are you doing to ensure these tubes are accepted by recycling facilities?

    In 2019, we earned recognition for technical recyclability from the APR (Association of Plastic Recyclers), showing that tubes of the right design are compatible with the HDPE #2 container recycling process. We also tested the sortability of tubes in the lab as well as in the field at MRFs (sorting facilities); data from these efforts shows that our full size tubes are able to make it through to the container line successfully, and there is minimal mis-sorting.

    Now that we’ve solved technical recyclability and proved compatibility with HDPE container recycling including sortability, we have been sharing the technology as well as the approach with tube suppliers, other brands, and any interested parties so that the transition to recyclable tubes can happen quickly, and recyclers can be confident that the tubes they receive are compatible. Because of this momentum, all major toothpaste brands have publicly committed to transition their tube portfolios by 2025, and a Squeeze Tube Design Guide is publicly available.

    In addition to helping the industry transition their tubes, we’re focused on working with the recycling community by sharing our work on compatibility of recyclable tubes within the current recycling system, and partnering with key third parties to address turning "recyclable" into widely accepted and "recycled." 

    A key collaborative effort we are funding is the Journey to Recyclability for Plastic Squeeze Tubes project, managed by our partner, Stina Inc. Anchored in the importance of avoiding contamination and improving the quality of recycled feedstock, this project is working through the critical elements needed for all tubes to be included in community lists of acceptable items in the recycling stream.

    Another example of work we are contributing to is The Pathway to Circularity: Recyclability Framework with The Recycling Partnership, which is creating the Framework to define a clear set of criteria to help companies successfully navigate the recycling system, and take action to address challenges, thereby making circularity tangible. We are active participants, having helped initiate the project, using tubes as a helpful case study, and are planning additional testing as the Framework protocols are agreed-upon by the Circularity Council driving the project. 

    Even with all of these efforts, however, during this transition phase your community may not yet accept tubes for recycling.  Consumers should check with their local community programs to ensure that tubes are accepted.  We are proud to be the leaders in this space and our goal is to continue developing innovative science that creates products that are ultimately better for our planet.

     

  • Why are some of your tubes recyclable while others aren't?

    The plan is for all of our toothpaste tubes to be recyclable by the end of 2025. It takes time to make the transition, and during this time, some of our toothpastes will be in recyclable tubes while others won't have transitioned yet. For now, make sure your tube has one of the icons below before you recycle it:

    recycle-tube-hdpe-logo
    recycle-tube-logo

  • Is this tube biodegradable?

    No, this tube (and plastics in general) are not designed to be biodegradable. The #2 HDPE plastic used in our tubes is designed to be "circular," so that the material can be re-processed into new products and packaging.

  • This tube is still made of plastic, how will it help the environment?

    Our recyclable tubes are made out of #2 HDPE plastic, which is one of the most recycled plastics. HDPE can be turned into all kinds of new things, including construction materials and new packaging. Switching to recyclable has the potential to keep billions of tubes out of landfills.

  • What is this tube made of?

    The tube is primarily made of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene), #2 plastic.

    The cap is made of PP (Polypropylene), #5 plastic.

  • Why do we share our tube technology?

    This project isn’t about us, it’s about something bigger. By sharing our technology hopefully we can initiate a global shift to recyclable toothpaste tubes. Our dream is to have all tubes (not just toothpaste) be recycled in practice and at scale.

  • What happens after the tubes are recycled?

    Here’s a quick example of the tubes lifecycle.

    Once the tube is in the recycle stream, it gets sent to places like a Materials Recovery Facility [MRF] where it would get sorted, then sent to a reprocessor who turns HDPE including bottles into little plastic pellets. These pellets can then get turned into new products and packaging!