Some Chinese manufacturers are using waste materials such as slippers scraps and various recycled plastics to produce a large number of disposable toothbrushes, which are then sold in the market. This news made it to the hot search trends on June 8. Experts have pointed out that the recycled plastics have complex compositions and when processed at high temperatures, they can generate new toxic substances harmful to the human body.
According to a report by mainland China’s “Financial Investigation”, staff at a waste collection station in Jiangdu District, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, mentioned that various waste plastics like white barrels used for chemicals, old panels from appliances, covers of electric fans, worn-out roller skates, among other items, are shredded and sent to various plastic product processing factories. A considerable portion of these recycled materials is specifically used to manufacture toothbrushes, and by adding colored pigments, the issue of the dirty appearance of waste plastics can be easily solved.
Employees from some waste collection stations have stated that disposable masks, various plastic fabrics, snakeskin pouches, black garbage bags, plastic ropes, slipper scraps, among others, are all used as raw materials for making disposable toothbrushes.
In one processing facility, a worker feeds slipper scraps into the hopper of a mixer. After undergoing high-temperature treatment, the liquid that flows out solidifies into long strands in a tank, and then, it is cut by a cutter at the end of the tank. The grains of white plastic beads come out from the hopper.
The owner of a factory mentioned that these plastic beads are directly sent to toothbrush factories for toothbrush production. Currently, the demand for his products is exceeding supply. These low-cost “recycled materials” are usually not used solely for making toothbrushes; instead, they are blended into new plastic materials proportionately to drastically reduce production costs.
In Hangsheng Technology Park in Guangling District, Yangzhou, there are several factories producing disposable products for hotels. An employee from a factory producing similar low-end toothbrushes revealed that such ultra-low-priced products are common in the industry and are the mainstream products with the highest sales volume.
In response to this, Dr. Pan Xiaochuan, an expert in preventive medicine and environmental science, emphasized that the recycled plastics have complex compositions and can generate new toxic substances when processed at high temperatures. Since disposable toothbrushes come in direct contact with the oral cavity, which has good permeability and dense blood vessels, combined with the surfactants in toothpaste, various harmful substances from the raw materials can easily penetrate the human body, posing multiple health risks with long-term use.