Toothpaste tubes and other squeezable plastic containers are getting closer to being more sustainable in the U.S. Some 90 percent of toothpaste tubes on the market are now made in a way that makes them compatible for recycling with HDPE, the same plastic used for products like shampoo bottles, according to research firm Stina Inc.
Overall, 75 percent of all the plastic squeeze tubes in the U.S. — also used for personal-care products such as conditioner and lotion — now have the correct design. The technical milestone makes it more likely that the tubes U.S. consumers recycle will actually get reclaimed.
That’s rarely a sure thing. In the country’s fragmented system, companies making recyclable products often have to persuade local governments and private companies to accept the items, sort them and turn them into something new. In 2022, Bloomberg Green reported that many sorting centers weren’t accepting toothpaste tubes, in part because the traditional and recyclable versions were too similar. The old version could cause contamination, so it was easier to reject toothpaste tubes across the board.
Colgate, which was among the leaders in developing a recyclable tube made from plastic instead of materials that are more difficult to reclaim, shared its design with competitors starting around 2018. In 2020, the Association of Plastic Recyclers issued guidance to help companies design tubes that are compatible with the HDPE stream.
