Reduce, reuse, recycle

[kaberett]

If, like me, you are the kind of person who experiences creeping existential guilt about sending to landfill things with recycling symbols on them --

-- and, like recent-past me, you Do Not have the cope or executive function to work out how to get toothpaste tubes into a clean and therefore recyclable state so you just Give Up every time the nest of too-empty-to-be-useful toothpaste tubes gets too large --

-- then I am here to (stultifyingly) inform you that you can sort of squeesh the edges so the thing opens back up, and then run a dribble of water in through the top until it stops foaming quite as much, and the squirt a little of the water out so there's an air gap, and then cap it and shake it and leave it to think about what it's done until next time you're brushing your teeth. Whereupon you can give it another shake, empty it out, rinse it again, and leave it to dry.

Comments

[alexseanchai]

wait

you can

recycle toothpaste tubes???

[damerell]

That's what I said, and I've got a kitchen counter full of plastic trays to wash. :-/

[kaberett]

I regret visiting this existential guilt on you as well, and I found out about it because I compulsively read the back of things and my toothpaste tube has a recycling symbol on it.

[ewt]

Another option: cut it in half with scissors and use a washing-up brush on the innards.

(Also useful for getting the Very Last Bit of toothpaste, or suncream, or whatever, out of such containers, which is why we do this in the first place.)

[kaberett]

For reasons that as far as I can tell are irrational, I appear to be really reluctant to cut toothpaste tubes open. Something something something textural horror??? I have no idea.

I am v glad this works for you. <3

[ewt]

Fair enough! Glad you've found a different solution.

[davidgillon]

cap it and shake it and leave it to think about what it's done

I love this sentence!

[wild_irises]

Wow, there are people more obsessive about this kind of thing than me! Who knew?