Hi Heather,
Great question! New packaging formats appearing on supermarket shelves recently are causing quite a few Australians to ask about how to recycle toothpaste tubes. We love that you’ve contacted us to ask.
There are a few reasons why certain items aren’t accepted in your kerbside recycling system—and toothpaste tubes tick a few of these boxes!
Firstly, the item needs to be the right shape and size to be processed through collection trucks and sorting equipment. The kerbside system is designed to handle more rigid items like bottles and jars. Flexible tubes, plastic bags, and wrappers can get caught in sorting equipment and cause breakdowns.
Secondly, items collected in kerbside recycling are separated into different material streams. Most toothpaste tubes are made with layers of aluminium and plastic. Because these materials can’t be separated, the aluminium contaminates the plastic recycling stream.
Lastly, recyclers need to have an end market for the plastic material. Plastics are complex with many types, additives, and colorants that impact their recyclability. Although there’s significant investment in new recycling technologies, currently we produce more packaging waste than can be recycled.
To answer your question, toothpaste tubes (including the new Colgate Smile for Good tubes that have removed the aluminium layer) are commonly not accepted in kerbside recycling bins due to processing and end market limitations.
If you find any local recycling or re-use options, we’d love to hear about them!
Thank you for getting in touch. Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.
Thanks Murphy
