Are Electric Toothbrush Heads Recyclable in Canada?
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Electric toothbrush heads are small, mixed-material items that feel like they should be recyclable. They are mostly plastic, after all. But in most Canadian curbside systems, the honest answer is simple: electric toothbrush heads are not recyclable through your Blue Box.
That does not mean there are no options. It means you have to be specific about which part you are recycling, which system you are using, and what your local program is built to handle.
This guide breaks down what is and is not recyclable in Canada, why most toothbrush heads fail in standard recycling, and what realistic alternatives exist if you want to keep them out of landfill.
Quick answer
- Blue Box (most of Canada, including Ontario): Electric toothbrush heads are generally not accepted.
- Mail-in or specialty programs: Some programs accept certain oral care waste, but rules vary by brand, province, and program type.
- Electric toothbrush handles and chargers: These are typically treated as electronics and should go through an e-waste stream, not curbside recycling.
Why toothbrush heads usually do not belong in the Blue Box
Most curbside recycling systems are optimized for packaging (bottles, tubs, trays, paperboard, metal cans) because packaging is produced at massive scale and can be sorted with relatively consistent rules.
Ontario is a helpful example because there is a province-wide move toward more consistent recycling acceptance. The official accepted materials list focuses on packaging types like plastic bottles, tubs, trays, flexible packaging, and tubes [1].
A toothbrush head is not packaging. It is a product component, and it creates three practical problems for Blue Box recycling:
1) They are too small for many sorting systems
Material recovery facilities (MRFs) sort recyclables using screens and mechanical separation. Items that are very small can end up in the “fines” stream, essentially falling through sorting equipment instead of moving into a clean plastic category.
A municipal recycling education guide from Peel Region describes how materials can fall through screens into a fines stream during sorting [2]. Toothbrush heads are exactly the kind of small, rigid objects that can get lost in that process.
2) They are made of mixed materials
Most electric toothbrush heads combine multiple plastics, nylon bristles, dyes, and sometimes tiny metal components. Even if the body is “plastic,” it is not a single, easy-to-recover resin stream the way a clear PET bottle is.
Mixed-material items can technically be recycled in some contexts, but in curbside systems the economics and sorting complexity usually make them non-starters.
3) They are contamination-prone
Used toothbrush heads contain saliva and toothpaste residue. Recycling systems are not medical sterilization systems. When an item is small, hard to sort, and likely to be contaminated, programs often exclude it entirely.
So what parts are recyclable in Canada?
Instead of thinking “Can this product be recycled?”, it helps to break it down into parts.
1) The outer packaging
Cardboard sleeves and paperboard packaging are often recyclable (if clean and dry), and many plastic blister packs are not. The most reliable approach is to check your local program, especially because packaging formats vary.
In Ontario’s accepted list, common plastic packaging types and tubes are explicitly included, but again: that does not automatically include the product inside the packaging [1].
2) The electric handle and charger
The handle and charger are electronics. They should not go in the Blue Box. Many cities instead provide dedicated electronics collection (drop-off depots, environment days, and other collection pathways).
For example, the City of Toronto explicitly notes that electronics should not be placed in curbside recycling and outlines electronics drop-off and collection options [3].
If you are outside Toronto, the same principle applies. Look for “electronics recycling” or “e-waste” programs in your municipality or province.
What about mail-in recycling programs in Canada?
Mail-in programs exist because some materials are hard to recycle through standard municipal infrastructure. These programs can be a real option, but only if you read the acceptance rules carefully.
Program rules vary more than people expect
For example, TerraCycle’s Crest and Oral-B free recycling program page explicitly states that electric toothbrushes, battery toothbrushes, and their parts are not accepted in that specific program [4].
That one line matters because it is easy to assume “oral care recycling” includes “everything oral care.” It often does not.
Some TerraCycle options in Canada are paid (and accept broader categories)
TerraCycle also offers Canada-available Zero Waste Box systems for oral care waste. Their sponsored oral care box page lists accepted items like toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, and floss containers [5].
These systems are not the same as municipal recycling. They are specialty recovery programs with their own economics and logistics, which is why the acceptance rules and costs can differ.
How to figure out the correct answer for your address
If you want the most accurate outcome, follow this order:
Step 1: Check your local “what goes where” tool
Most Canadian municipalities now have a searchable waste lookup tool. Use it. It will be more accurate than general advice because it reflects your local contracts and sorting infrastructure.
Step 2: Separate the decision into three bins
- Packaging: Often recyclable if it matches accepted packaging types (paperboard, certain plastics).
- Head: Usually garbage, unless you have a specific take-back program that accepts it.
- Handle and charger: Electronics drop-off or e-waste collection, not curbside recycling [3].
Step 3: If you use a mail-in program, verify acceptance before saving a box
Do not assume a program accepts electric toothbrush heads just because it accepts other oral care items. Acceptance can be brand-limited, item-limited, or may exclude electric components entirely [4].
What to do if the head is not recyclable
This is where the conversation usually gets uncomfortable, because the truth is not neat. If your head is not accepted in curbside recycling and you do not have access to a specialty take-back program, the realistic destination is landfill.
That is not a personal failure. It is a design and infrastructure mismatch.
If you want to reduce the waste footprint anyway, there are still meaningful levers:
- Replace on the right schedule, not earlier: Many people swap heads early “just because.” Use a consistent schedule that aligns with dental guidance, and do not treat replacement as a cleanliness ritual.
- Choose systems that reduce total material over time: The lowest-waste option is usually a durable handle with replaceable heads (which you already have), rather than replacing an entire manual toothbrush repeatedly. Look for heads that use plant based materials over plastic.
- Focus on packaging and shipping waste you can control: Packaging choices are often where brands and customers can make the most immediate improvements.
A quick note on “bioplastics” and plant-based bristles
“Plant-based” does not automatically mean recyclable, and it does not automatically mean compostable. Many plant-based plastics are engineered for performance, not for backyard breakdown or Blue Box compatibility.
Recycling depends on local sorting and end-market demand, not on whether a material started as petroleum or plants.
Where Vearthy fits into this conversation
Vearthy’s approach to everyday essentials is rooted in a design lens: reduce waste where you can, be honest about tradeoffs, and avoid pretending there is a perfect solution.
Our plant-based electric brush heads are designed to reduce reliance on conventional plastics in the head, but they are still not something you should place in curbside recycling or compost. We utilize lower water consumption production techniques, plant based materials, compostable shipping packaging, and focus on shifting away from petroleum. This is our attempt to keep plastic out of the landfill whenever possible.
Final thoughts
In Canada, the question “Are electric toothbrush heads recyclable?” is usually answered by infrastructure, not intention.
Most toothbrush heads are too small, too mixed, and too contamination-prone for curbside sorting. Some specialty programs exist, but they require careful verification because acceptance rules can be surprisingly narrow [4].
If there is a bigger takeaway, it is this: recycling is a system, not a label. When a product does not fit the system, the honest move is to acknowledge that reality and design around it.
References
- Circular Materials (Ontario). “Recyclable material list” (PDF). https://www.circularmaterials.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FINAL-ON-Detailed-Material-List-1.pdf
- Region of Peel. “Material Recovery Facility Virtual Tour - Teacher Guide” (PDF). (See sorting and fines screens.) https://peelregion.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/teacher-guide-recycling.pdf
- City of Toronto. “Electronic Waste.” https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/recycling-organics-garbage/electronic-waste/
- TerraCycle. “Crest and Oral-B Free Recycling Program.” (Program rules and exclusions.) https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/crest-and-oral-b
- TerraCycle Shop (Canada). “Oral Care Waste and Packaging - Zero Waste Box.” https://shop.terracycle.com/en-CA/products/oral-care-waste-and-packaging-sponsored-zero-waste-boxes-ca