Back in January, I wrote a post about Bite Toothpaste Bits. You can read that post here. I signed up for the subscription that delivers a refill for your jar every three months and I wanted to show readers what you get since the packaging and concept are rather unique. The idea behind the bits is to create zero waste and I think the company has done an excellent job.
My original order arrived in January and comprised of the jar with the first installment of the bits already inside. I understood that each refill would come in an envelope and create no waste. I received an email about five days or so before the refill shipment went out and it arrived towards the end of April.
This is the box that arrived at my doorstep. The underside of the box has the shipping info on a sticker that holds the flap shut. I like that they advertise on the box as to what the product is in a small effort to attract more people to the idea of toothpaste bits.
I like the inside of the box with a nice thankyou right there so you can't miss it. I like to support companies that have a mission that is on par with my values, especially small companies. I was initially concerned about what appears to be a plastic bag holding the bits instead of an envelope but you'll see that it all works out in the end.
Here are just the bits in all of their glory. It is a three month supply, or so they say, so it should be about 180 or so bits in total. I didn't count them but I am guessing they are actually overfilling the orders as there is supposed to be enough to brush twice a day for three months and I always brush twice, sometimes three times a day and I had quite a few left from the original order. This refill created several weeks worth of extra bits so I think it's safe to assume you are actually getting a decent amount more than you actually paid for.
Here is where the seemingly plastic bag is explained. The bag is actually made out of cellulose which is biodegradable. Cellulose is a plant-based polymer so to explain in extremely simple terms, cellulose can be made into a degradable organic plastic. Why don't we replace all plastic with cellulose? Good question. I think it comes down to the production costs and the large amount of energy required to make cellulose into a plastic-like material. Another point here is that this bag is backyard compostable, which means that it breaks down quickly in a diverse set of conditions.
Here is the refill pack alongside the jar that I received with the original order. I removed the bits that I had left before adding the replacements so that I use the older bits up first.
I filled the jar and had so many extra that I had to put all the extras in another container.
Toss your cellulose bag and the packing paper into your bathroom compost container until you are ready to bring it out to your main compost receptacle. You don't have a bin for compost materials in your bathroom? Why not? We have one and we use it for the toilet paper roll, the paper our toilet paper is wrapped in, and for tissues that have been used.
Here is the actual waste left from the bits. It's the little packet that absorbs the moisture. One came in the original jar and a new one came in the refill pack. As you can see, it's very small and since you are composting the bag and the paper and recycling the box, there is a minuscule amount of actual landfill waste created. Since the bits lasted me three and a half months, I'll guess that I had less waste than you did in that same amount of time.
Want to get in on the action? Order Bite Toothpaste Bits here. I am recommending this product because I love it. I pay for the product and don't receive anything in return from the company, in fact, this blog is small and they have no idea it exists.
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