Dental practices are currently under immense pressure. As you’d expect, the sting of this mammoth workload is felt by patients, too. The Covid-19 pandemic initially forced dental practices to close for three months. This meant that routine check-ups and treatments were pushed back, thus creating a snowballing workload for reopening time.
Once dental surgeries reopened, they still faced challenges that meant their ever-growing workload could not be met. To keep surgeries safe, all dentists had to leave the room for an hour after a drill had been used. This was to protect the patient from any airborne Covid-19 particles during treatment, which caused long unfillable gaps in surgery appointment calendars. Additionally, dental practices were only allowed to focus on emergencies. This meant all check-up appointments had to be pushed back.
Though check-ups have now been reinstated, waiting rooms can only hold a limited number of patients at any given time, to allow for social distancing. This makes it even trickier to catch up on the backlog of patients waiting for check-ups. There are reportedly around nine months worth of check-up appointments that need to be scheduled in, not including anyone who needs treatment.
On top of this, NHS, dental care funding has drastically been reduced by the government. This means that trying to fit in more patients to make up for the delay is not possible. Some patients have considered private dental care as their only option. But, this is not an option for everyone.
What do dentists say?
Imelda Redmond, the national director of NHS dentistry, said: "The twin crisis of access and affordability hitting NHS dentistry means many people are not able to access timely care - and the poorest are hardesthit. Those human stories show that oral health is a social justice and equity issue. Reform of dental contracts needs to be a matter of urgency for this Government." (The Express)
These problems have led to patients having even more severe dental problems, including loss of teeth, and in some cases hospitalisation after overdosing on painkillers. The backlog has left many patients with no other option.
The Department of Health has insisted it is committed to supporting dentists so 'everyone across the country can access affordable, high-quality dental care' (The Daily Mail), but this backlog does not seem to be disappearing anytime soon.
How to look after your teeth at home
Looking after your teeth every day at home can prevent decay, infections and ultimately tooth loss. Good oral hygiene is no small feat, especially if you can’t book in with the dentist as soon as you’d like to.
Brush twice a day
Brushing twice a day for two minutes is a non-negotiable in tooth care. You’ll want to use a soft brush to preserve the important shiny enamel that acts as an armour for your teeth. Be careful not to use a heavy hand. You don’t need to press hard on your teeth to clean them. You can ensure you’re cleaning them thoroughly by simply brushing for long enough, and using circular motions throughout.
Floss every day
Flossing is also essential, and yes, you need to do it every day. Brushing can only clean the surface of your teeth, whereas flossing tackles those hard to reach areas between teeth, where food particles often get stuck. If you don’t clean between your teeth, plaque can quickly form.
Plaque is a sticky film that contains bacteria. This bacteria feeds on the particles of food that remain in your mouth after eating, and loves all things sugary. When the bacteria feed, they release a corrosive acid, which eats away at your tooth enamel to cause cavities.
Replace your toothbrush every 2-3 months
It’s a fact that we don’t change our toothbrushes as regularly as we should. Our toothbrushes usually reside in our bathrooms, not too far from our toilets. Need we say more? After a certain period of time, your toothbrush collects too much bacteria to sufficiently clean your teeth.
Using an old toothbrush makes your mouth vulnerable to excess bacteria, and strips you of the benefits of toothbrushing.
Avoid sugar as much as possible
Though we love it, sugar is terrible news for your teeth. We talked about the bacteria that gets trapped between your teeth. This bacteria feeds on sugar, and when it does so, it omits an acidic substance that breaks down your enamel and causes infections.
The Brushbox mission
Even when you have regular access to the dentist, your home tooth care is incredibly important. Brushbox was founded to improve oral care standards and make tooth cleaning convenient and environmentally-friendly. We deliver all your tooth care essentials to your home, exactly when you need them. So, there’s really no excuse for not taking care of your teeth.
All our products are completely sustainable and zero-waste. We even plant a tree every time we sell a toothbrush.
Click here to purchase our at-home tooth care supplies.
Regular tips on dental hygiene are also posted on our Instagram page @brushboxuk.
]]>
Cutos for the great name! Who Gives A Crap is a toilet paper delivery service that helps you reduce the environmental consequences of wiping your tush! You may not have thought of switching out your loo roll when making better choices, because obviously, toilet paper is always single use. But, you do have a choice of which natural material you’re going to swipe through - and there is a more environmentally friendly choice.
Toilet paper is made from trees. 27,000 trees a day, to be exact. That’s the cost of producing toilet paper. But not all trees produce paper equally. Bamboo trees can yield 20 times more than other trees. They also reach maturity quickly. Who Gives A Crap makes toilet paper out of bamboo, giving you more bum wiping wins and reducing the required rate of deforestation.
Check them out
Tip: Get yourself a soap dish and make use of all the beautiful hand and body soaps Lush has to offer. Using bar soaps is an oldie but goldie when it comes to reducing single use plastic in your bathroom. You can eliminate plastic coated body wash and hand wash with beautifully scented bars of soap. It doesn’t have to be Lush, but we love them for their indulgent scents, colours and textures.
Plus, Lush’s range is vegetarian, cruelty free and hand made. They also advocate ethical buying and naked packaging.
Our recommendations include Honey I Washed the Kids and Bohemian.
Go to Lush
Shampoo and conditioner bottles are leading culprits in the bathroom plastic pollution. Awake Organics have created a range of products that take care of your tresses and the planet. The shampoo and conditioners come in plastic-free refills with reusable pumps. Z
Awake Organics prides itself in providing plastic-free hair care that’s 100% biodegradable and plant-based: every eco-warrior’s dream!
Check out Awake Organics
Forests are one of the most important environmental assets we have, which is why we plant a tree every time we sell a toothbrush. Aside from being beautiful places to take socially distant walks, their environmental benefits are astounding.
Here’s 8 reasons why we’re celebrating forests today:
1. Forests help us breathe
Could there be a more important reason to celebrate trees? Forests are beautiful places, but their value extends far beyond their beauty. Forests are carbon hungry, and they absorb carbon dioxide out of the air, replacing it with oxygen. This means that the air we breathe is cleaner where there are trees. A mature tree can provide enough daily oxygen to support up to 10 people.
2. Trees purify the air
As well as removing carbon dioxide from the air, trees also absorb carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. These gases all contribute towards air pollution, so when trees get cut down, air pollution effectively increases straight away.
3. Forests help keep the Earth cool
If trees remove carbon dioxide, they also help prevent Global Warming. Carbon dioxide is directly responsible for the warming of the Earth. Forests help slow down this global warming and in turn, keeps the planet cool.
4. People stay cool, too
This cooling effect benefits people, too, which is why it’s a good idea to plant trees near homes and in cities that need to stay as cool as possible. Think of London or New York in the height of Summer. You want to sit in a park keeping cool.
5. Forests are homes
Animals and wildlife depend on the natural habitats of forests. UK forests host animals such as deers, pine martens and even some wild boars! Deforestation destroys these habitats, rendering precious wildlife homeless.
6. Forests fight erosion
Forests are valuable for farmers. When located around fields, they help to keep precious soil in place and prevent slipping. Forests help limit erosion from rain. Deforestation causes mud slides, dust storms and flooding.
7. Forests prevent droughts
Trees drink up water from the soil and release it into the atmosphere, which gets recycled as rain. In hot climates, this process provides sweet relief for animals, humans and plants, as well as farmers, who rely on consistent weather patterns for their crops.
8. Medicines come from trees
Many medicinal plants come from forests. Cacao trees provide a drug used to treat asthma, for example. The rain forests also provide the majority of compounds used in medicines that fight cancer.
International Day of Forests encourages people all around the world to take action to restore and protect forests, so that the planet can keep reaping the rewards of having trees around. Check out the video below to learn more about the agenda.
How Brushbox helps protect forests
We work with Eden Reforestation Projects to help replant trees to protect the environment. Every time we sell a bamboo toothbrush, we plant a tree. The organisation has planted over 400 million trees so far, 100,000 contributed by Brushbox.
Help plant more by purchasing a Brushbox brush today.
]]>Environmentally friendly products have blown up over the past 5 years, with ecommerce businesses (such as ours) offering new and innovative solutions to help people live more sustainably. With everything from bamboo toothbrushes to natural deodorants at your fingertips, there’s hope for a greener future for consumers.
That said, with consumer behaviour leaning more and more towards sustainability, many businesses are trying to oversell the environmental benefits of products that may actually rank pretty poorly on the ethical scale. This is called ‘greenwashing’, and it’s actually a pretty crappy thing to do (all puns intended), because it lures consumers into a false sense of sustainability.
We believe that you need to know exactly how your Brushbox brush benefits the planet, including everything from ordering to disposal. We’ll never exaggerate or greenwash our process. We’re just here to tell you the facts.
One of the biggest environmental benefits of a Brushbox brush is that you have several options to dispose of it sustainably. Like the rest of the plastic coated everyday essentials that are cluttering our lives, a plastic toothbrush will remain in the environment for at least 400 years!
On the other hand, if you use a bamboo toothbrush, the majority of your brush will decompose in just 2-3 weeks!
Option 1
The best option is to remove the bristles and add the bamboo to your garden waste bin. This waste is sent to an industrial composting facility by the council. This method is the fastest way to decompose the brush (in 2-3 weeks).
Option 2
The next best option is to remove the bristles and dispose of your brush in a home composting bin. This is a pretty cool method if, like us, you’re into the eco-warrior life. It means your old toothbrush can actually be broken down into a compost that you can spread over your plants to help them grow. Which, in turn, is great for natural wildlife. Ah, the circle of life!
Option 3
If all else fails, you can remove the bristles and dispose of your brush handle in your food waste bin. Bamboo is biodegradable, so it will break down with the rest of your food waste.
You’ll notice that in every instance we instruct our bamboo-loving customers to remove their toothbrush bristles. These need to be removed and recycled responsibly.
We have to be specific about this, because it’s the only way to promote transparency and safe toothbrush disposal. BUT, we remain wholeheartedly proud of the jump forward we’re making here. The fact that the majority of your Brushbox brush will decompose in as little as 2 weeks is an incredible improvement on plastic brushes.
When we were developing Brushbox, it became clear that large corporations were heavily focused on selling a cure with poor oral hygiene practices at a huge environmental cost.
In an endless cycle of causing problems and selling a false solution, nearly 1 billion plastic single-use brushes are disposed of every year. These brushes will likely never decompose and most will end up in our oceans.
It’s imperative that you change your toothbrush every 2-3 months to take proper care of your teeth, but this would usually have a gargantuan impact on environmental plastic.
We founded Brushbox with the core value of making a big difference through little changes. We believe it’s the little things that can add up to create massive impacts.
We realised quickly the solution wasn’t only in creating the Bamboo toothbrushes. We needed to offer a socially responsible service supplying regular fresh brushes and pastes without damaging the environment in the process.
All our products and packaging are made with an ecologically friendly mindset with a huge focus on our own individual oral health.
Want to find out more about our other environmental agendas? Read about our partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects here
]]>Key principle: Be prepared.
Before we get started, we need to make this disclaimer. Preparedness is essential when taking better care of our consumption. Here’s why:
1. Carry a reusable coffee cup
This is a common recommendation, because disposable coffee cups are renownedly difficult to recycle. According to WWF, the UK throws away around 2.5 billion coffee cups every year. Honestly, we can’t even wrap our heads around this figure.
Due to this vast number and the different materials that compose a coffee cup, a mere 1% of them can be recycled. Most of them will spend up to 50 years in landfill, after being sipped at for just minutes.
If you’ve paid attention to environmental headlines, you’ll have probably seen lots of images of wildlife wearing those single-use blue face masks that have become an emblem of current times.
Since wearing masks became compulsory, estimates show that the UK throws out 53 million face masks per day. Many of these masks make their way into wildlife hubs, including rivers, oceans and meadows.
In addition to harming wildlife, these single-use face masks are made using a variety of plastics, meaning they can take up to 450 years to break down.
Traditional food vendors such as butchers, grocers and bakers are much more likely to supply food in minimal packaging, often opting for paper over plastic. This is also a great way to treat yourself to quality fresh produce and help out your local businesses at the same time.
You may want to carry tupperware to these suppliers, to make it easier to transport items such as fish and meat home.
Popular dining habits include cooking from scratch in the week, then dining on takeaways or ready meals on the weekend. Whilst many of us crave a break from cooking on the weekend, it’s likely we’ll turn to plastic-wrapped foods to do so.
If you’re getting a takeaway, find somewhere that supplies food in reusable containers, rather than single use polystyrene cartons. You could even ask if they’d be willing to supply your food in your own containers upon collection.
Instead of buying heavily-wrapped meals at the supermarket, opt for cooking your own alternatives. This way, you can use raw ingredients that can be added to other meals too, thus cutting down on food packaging.
We could definitely do with more zero-waste shops, but if you do have one near you, make the most of it. Zero-waste shops do an awesome job of offering everyday essentials in bulk, for you to collect in your own containers.
You can find your nearest stores by visiting https://www.thezerowastenetwork.com/
6. Use soap bars instead of liquid soap
Bathrooms are magnets for single-use plastic. Reduce the plastic waste collecting in your shower by switching to a bar soap instead of liquid.
Frankly, we find bar soaps a little more exciting, too, especially if you shop somewhere that specialises in different scents and skin-concerns. Lush is one of our favourite soap suppliers - hardly a niche brand, but we can deal with being mainstream. Our all-time favourite product is Honey I Washed The Kids. https://uk.lush.com/products/handmade-soap
If you’re still drinking cow’s milk (we know there’s still some folk out there who are), switch to using your local milk supplier, so that your milk arrives in reusable glass bottles, instead of a tonne of plastic.
When you’re finished with these bottles, simply clean them out, and leave them on your doorstep for your milk supplier to reuse.
Captain obvious. We believe strongly that bamboo should be the default toothbrush material. It’s durable and it decomposes easily.
When we researched how often toothbrushes need to be replaced, we realised that Brushbox needed to be a plastic-free service. If you’re taking good care of your teeth, you should be changing your toothbrush every 2 months. That means that every year, you’ll get through 6 toothbrushes. When these are made of plastic, that’s 6 more items of plastic waste per person. Just think how many you’d get through in a lifetime.
You can sign up to a rolling subscription with Brushbox, or order a year’s supply so that your bathroom cupboard’s always stocked with a fresh brush (get my brushes).
When you buy a year’s supply, we’ll also donate 6 brushes to children in need and plant 6 trees. It’s a winner all-round.
We hope you found these tips helpful. If you have any more suggestions on reducing plastic consumption, please comment them below to help out our community of eco-warriors.
]]>Have you ever received that all-knowing look off the dentist when they ask if you’re flossing your teeth? It’s okay, we’re all human. We know that look too, and it fills us with dread. We’ve often questioned whether the dentist is just being a stickler for the rules, like when your teacher tells you to underline your headings, or whether we really should be flossing our teeth every day.
It turns out that your dentist knows what they’re talking about. If they’re looking at your mouth sceptically, it’s probably because they can see warning signs of decay that suggest your teeth aren’t getting the attention they need. 😬
Why you should floss every day
The expert advice is unanimous. The NHS, American Dental Association and Canadian Dental Association all recommend flossing once every day, alongside your two daily doses of tooth brushing. It’s so important to brush your teeth, but your toothbrush can’t reach the small areas between your teeth. If you don’t clean between your teeth, plaque can quickly form.
Plaque is a sticky film that contains bacteria. This bacteria feeds on the particles of food that remain in your mouth after eating, and loves all things sugary. When the bacteria feed, they release a corrosive acid, which eats away at your tooth enamel to cause cavities. This means even more time in the dentist’s chair whilst they sternly examine your mouth, and those dreaded fillings.
As if that doesn’t sound horrid enough, plaque can also harden into calculus (tartar) over time, which can eventually lead to gingivitis and gum disease. You only need to consult those scary adverts on TV about gum disease causing missing teeth to know the seriousness of this condition.
Flossing every day helps to rid your mouth of food particles in a safe and timely manner, just like brushing.
More benefits of flossing every day: the list continues
1.Your smile will look positively gorgeous
Flossing after your meal will ensure you never have to sheepishly ask “is there something in my teeth?” Smile with confidence. 😁
2. Floss banishes bad breath
Bad breath (halitosis) is common, and is often caused by food particles decaying in the mouth. When food gets stuck between your teeth, it starts to break down. If you don’t remove these particles, a foul smell will be released from your mouth. No, thank you! Floss to make sure you’re squeaky clean and icy fresh.
3. Flossing can keep your heart healthy
Yes, you read that right. Good oral hygiene has been linked to heart health. In a large 2019 study, participants who maintained a high standard of oral hygiene that included flossing reduced their risk of atrial fibrillation and heart failure.
4. Floss sustainably
Flossing is amazing for your teeth, but not so great for the environment. Traditional floss is made of plastic. This is problematic because it’s often disposed of irresponsibly and it ends up cluttering the environment.
We could all do with less plastic in our daily routines.
Brushbox floss is made from 100% biodegradable materials, derived from plant-based ingredients. Coated in Vegan-friendly candelilla wax, it’s natural peppermint flavour tastes as fresh as traditional floss, without the environmental impact. ♻️🌍
]]>In conclusion, if you've made your a New Year's Resolution this year, you may find it easier to stick to if you can turn it into a habit. Is there a way to break it down into a daily check, and hold yourself accountable?
Whatever it is, we wish you the best of luck.
Got any of your own favourite oral health or eco habits that we've not listed? Pop them in the comments below and we'll share our favourites on social media.
]]>“If trees produced a WiFi signal, we’d plant them on every spare square metre of land we have...so it’s a shame they only produce oxygen”.
I don’t remember where the quote came from, so unfortunately I can’t give credit where it’s due. And I’m almost certainly paraphrasing/butchering the original delivery; but the message has always stuck with me.
I think it hits and sticks so well because it’s at first, funny. It’s meant as a joke. But then the realisation of how true it is seeps in, and then how haunting and scary it is that that’s where we are.
We’re all taught in school how important trees are, and learn in science about photosynthesis and how they convert CO2 into O2. So we know the role they play. And almost everyone I’ve ever met would agree that trees are beautiful. It’s one of the reasons so many families enjoy a walk in the woods.
On an individual level, I believe most people love trees. I don’t know anyone who supports deforestation. And I believe most people would support and advocate reforestation as a cause...yet, as a country and a planet, deforestation is a HUGE issue. On an individual level we would never want to contribute to this, however as a collective our consumption and our actions are still taking a massive toll.
Here’s some frightening facts about deforestation:
It’s frightening stuff.
Trees provide wonderful benefits to both us and the environment. Trees are the lungs of our cities, filtering out nasties and filtering out CO2 (providing vital support to combat climate change). They’re the homes for our wildlife, providing habitats and shelter both up high and down low. They’re our guardians against flooding, proven to reduce rainwater entering watercourses and in turn reducing the chances of rivers breaking their banks.
Basically, trees are vital to so many aspects of our life.
So what can we do to improve the current situation? Well, there are two basic solutions. Basic, but not easy. As they’re simple in their conception, and uncomplicated in their reasoning, but difficult to put into practice.
Reduce usage
Ok, so let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, we are a company who uses a form of timber to produce our products (although bamboo is technically a grass, and the fastest growing one in the world at that). However, we do this because it is far more environmentally friendly to do so than to use a plastic toothbrush. Plastic versus timber, and the many benefits of bamboo could (and will!) be it’s own very long blog.
In the meantime, there are other things we can all be doing to reduce our usage. This can start with the basics, such as not printing unless necessary, using digital versions of media over printed forms, but even this can become difficult. Timber and paper are too ingrained in our world to avoid the use entirely. Instead, look to use sustainably sourced and recycled materials. You may have noticed a label “made from recycled paper” on your notebook. The same label can be found on many other daily use items like books, paper bags, egg packaging and even toilet paper.
By choosing items made from recycled paper, you make a conscious effort to lower the demand for more timber.
Besides decreasing the need to cut more trees, your purchase is also supporting paper recycling facilities and reducing the amount of waste entering landfills.
Support reforestation
This one sounds tougher, but don’t worry, we’re not asking you to pick up a shovel and start planting (though we’re not discouraging that either…). It’s actually a lot easier to plant trees than you would think.
Thanks to charities around the world who are focussed on reforestation as a mission, many companies with eco-values are supporting these charities, and helping provide funding for more trees.
Here at Brushbox, we partner with the Eden Reforestation Projects. You can read more about their mission and their amazing work here. Eden Reforestation Projects reduce extreme poverty and help restore healthy forests by employing local villagers to plant millions of trees every year. And to date they have planted over 400million trees!
Through our partnership, we fund a tree for every bamboo brush we sell (plus many more initiatives through the year). We do this as part of our commitment to ensure we are responsible for more timber going into the ground, than is ever taken from it.
If you’re looking for other simple changes that support reforestation, you could even simply change your Search Engine. Ecosia is an internet search engine that plants trees for the searches made through it.
These are the little changes that can have a massive impact.
Thank you for reading this blog. We’d love to hear your favourite tips for reducing timber and paper use, and ways in which you support reforestation. The more small changes we make as individuals, the bigger impact we can have as a collective.
]]>Is brushing alone, twice a day, enough?
If you’re a Brushbox champ, you save the world twice a day by brushing those pearly whites with a bamboo toothbrush, and help plant thousands of trees in the process. To you folk we say, stay with the programme, you’re off to a great start. However…
Flossing is the secret shining star of a great oral hygiene routine. It’s not just something your dentist advises because they’ve got a job lot of the stuff to sell you, any dentist worth their tiny sink will recommend that you get all up in your gums and floss out the grubby stuff!
Flossing can’t replace brushing, but together, the two make a dental dream team.
Are you looking for a niche and informative Zoom quiz topic? Say no more. Here’s 9 fun facts about flossing that will make your canines stand on end.
1. Brushing alone only cleans about 70% of your teeth
That means that flossing nay-sayers are leaving food particles and grime on 30% of their teeth. Imagine how dirty your body would be if you only ever washed 70% of it. That’s a whole knees to toes worth of dirt!
2. A daily floss can prevent heart disease
We kid you not. There’s a direct link between heart disease and gum disease. By flossing all of those nasties from between your gums, you can prevent bacteria from entering your bloodstream.
3. Dental floss banishes 300 species of bacteria
You know we’re getting serious when we mention bacteria. Lab coat on.
That’s right guys, there are over 300 species of bacteria festering away in the plaque that can build between your teeth. Fear not, dental floss grips this plaque to pull it away from your gums and lead your teeth back to safety.
4. Millions of miles of floss waste
Each year, the American population alone gets through 3 million miles of dental floss. With millions more being added by the rest of use around the world.
If you laid the USAs floss consumption out end to end, it would go from the Earth to the moon and back 6 times! It would also look really, really gross.
5. “Bacon is good for me!”
Floss can be purchased in a variety of different flavours. Whilst most straight-laced folk aim for spearmint, or peppermint if they’re taking a walk on the wild side, floss can even be found in a bacon flavour. King Curtis will be most pleased.
6. Floss must not be flushed
Whilst it’s convenient to toss your floss in the toilet after use, it’s a nightmare for the sewage system. Floss isn’t biodegradable (unless it’s from Brushbox of course 😊 ), so once it is sent down the toilet pan, it can combine with hair and other waste to form gross globules of gunk that clog the pipes. Globalicious.
Instead, floss should be disposed of in your ‘black bag’ waste bin.
7. There is an optimum length of floss
To floss efficiently, you will need between 18-20 inches of floss. This might sound excessive, but remember that every tooth requires a new fresh piece of floss to avoid spreading bacteria.
8. Battle of the sexes
It is believed by researchers that women floss more than men. Come on guys, get the grub out of your gums.
9. Flossing before brushing is the way forward
Dental buffs advise that flossing before brushing makes brushing more effective. By removing debris between your teeth first, your bristles have more chance to distribute that soapy goodness throughout more of your teeth.
So there we have it - it’s a victory for the floss advocates. Globules and bacon aside, flossing is a great way to take care of not only your teeth and gums, but your wider health as well. If our eyes are the gateways to our souls, our mouths are the trap doors to our bellies and organs.
Our oral care has a great impact on everything from our heart health to our gut environment, so any way to boost your oral hygiene has the green light from us.
Did you know these fun facts about flossing? Let us know in the comments below.
And if you’re running low on floss, or are guilty of neglecting your floss game, check out our 100% biodegradable floss, which can be easily added to any subscription. ]]>So, put aside those werewolves and vampires and instead scare yourself silly with some truly terrifying facts about your teeth.
Your brush might not be as clean as you think
Your toothbrush is what you use to make sure that your teeth and gums are as clean as possible, which means that the thought it may not be as clean as possible isn’t something that we like to think about.
Unfortunately, whether we want to think about it or not, your toothbrush has around 10 billion microbes living on its bristles at any one time, which means that when you pop it in your mouth, these microscopic fellas end up on your teeth and gums.
Over a short time, this isn’t a big problem, however after 2-3 months these microbes can be bad for your oral health – and let’s not even think about what happens if your toothbrush is stored less than 6 feet away from your toilet 😳. This is main reason dentists recommend we replace our brushes every 2-3 months.
You make a whole lot of spit every day
Spit isn’t really something any of us really want to think or talk about, but it is something that every single one of us have. Some people seem to make more spit than others, however, on average human beings make around 2 litres of spit each and every day.
Now, whilst this may sound disgusting, spit actually gives a helping hand when it comes to keeping our mouths and teeth fresh & clean, which meanswe should be welcoming all that glorious saliva (but always remember – say it, don’t spray it!)
Tooth grinding could be your gateway to oral health issues
Do you grind your teeth when you sleep? A lot of us do, it’s fairly common, especially when we’re stressed. Some people aren’t even aware they’re doing it! Though, if you share a bed with someone, they may have already pointed out the sound of your night tooth grind keeping them awake 😬.
What you may not know about teeth grinding though is that it can cause you to have some pretty major oral health issues in the future.
People who grind their teeth at night are more likely to need restorative dental work, such as caps and bridges, later on in life and are also more likely to end up needing a root canal from the dentist – an often quite costly, and painful, procedure. So if you’re grinding your teeth, may be worth a call with your GP to see if they can recommend any measures to reduce the chance of damage.
Plaque is never your friend
We all know that plaque is an issue when it comes to our oral health, however most people seem to be fixated on the fact that plaque is unsightly (yellow teeth? No thank you).
Aside from the aesthetic aspect, plaque can harbour hundreds of different types of bacteria which is bad news for your teeth & gums.
At the end of the day, don’t let your oral health be something that keeps you awake at night, small changes can make a big difference. Scare those oral health horrors away and take charge of your teeth and gums by taking a look around our website. Here you can learn more about our amazing eco-friendly oral care products , and how they can help you and your family change the way you think about and look after your teeth – remember, a frightening set of teeth is for life, not just for Halloween!
If you liked this blog post and would like to receive notifications of more awesome content in the future, sign up to our mailing list or follow us on social media. And don’t forget to leave a comment below, we love hearing from our readers.
Plastics have been found to impact on almost 700 species in our oceans, including 60% of all seabirds and 100% of all sea turtles species.
The problem though starts here on land, where in the UK it’s estimated that 5 million tonnes of plastic is used every year.
So, what are the UK doing to combat single-use plastic pollution?
What is the UK Government doing in England?
Coronavirus delayed the planned Single-Use Plastics Ban by six months, but the UK Government recently renewed its pledge to battle the problem. From October 2020 however, Defra will have implemented its ban on plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds in England, and from 2022 it will introduce a tax on plastic packaging to ‘penalise’ companies if they produce (or import) packaging which does not contain at least 30% recycled content.
There are also new & extended producer responsibility schemes which penalise businesses if their packaging is difficult to recycle, all aimed at helping to encourage a move towards a more circular economy.
The UK government wants to have zero avoidable waste by 2050 and it has a target of eliminating avoidable plastic waste by 2042. The aim is also to ensure that all plastic packaging is either recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025.
Finally, there are also proposals for an English Deposit Return scheme and proposed reforms to the 'plastics producer' systems in the Environment Bill 2019-20.
What’s happening in Wales?
Plastic straws, stirrers, balloon sticks, cotton buds, cutlery, polystyrene food and drink containers, and some types of carrier bags are also to be banned in Wales.
A consultation on the proposals will take place in the coming months, with restrictions expected to come into force in the first half of 2021.
The aim is that Wales will be a Zero-Waste nation by the year 2050.
What are the moves in Scotland?
Scotland deserves credit as being the first country in the UK to ban plastic-stemmed cotton buds (go Scotland!).
Their 'Deposit Return Scheme' is also expecting to capture 90% of plastic bottles, glass bottles, aluminium & steel cans when it starts operating (see here for some really cool stats).
Other items, including cutlery, plates, and food and drink containers made of expanded polystyrene, will be banned or restricted by July 2021.
A outright ban on the manufacture and sale of microbeads came into force in 2018.
What are businesses doing?
Businesses came together in the Plastics Pact, which has a target of 2025 to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic packaging, for all plastic packaging to be re‑usable, recyclable, or compostable and for 70% to be recycled or composted.
There is also the Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan which includes an increase in the collection of recyclable plastics, improvements in sorting, and development of end markets for recycled plastics.
The UK Circular Plastics Network brings together plastic product users through networking and knowledge-sharing events. In particular, supermarkets and a number of retailers now have many initiatives aimed at reducing plastic packaging including having 'plastic-free' aisles in stores and allowing customers to use their own packaging/containers to purchase certain goods.
What can you do?
One of the simplest things you can do is to stop using single-use plastics wherever possible. The reality is that businesses and governments often only take action when there is sufficient public pressure and consumer buying habits can play a large part in this.
Making small changes such as replacing your plastic toothbrushes for bamboo or using Keep-cups/insulated water bottles instead of single-use water bottles and coffee cups also generate a positive impact.
Looking for items in non-plastic, recyclable packaging also sends a signal to large businesses that our needs are changing - and if this fails, try out a zero-waste shop - they're popping up in more & more places.
In summary, there's a lot going on. Unfortunately, nothing changes overnight but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't all try our play our part - big changes don't happen as a result of decisions made by big organisations, they happen as a results of lots of people making small changes, regularly.
Looking to change your lifestyle? Sign up for our sustainable bamboo-handled toothbrushes here.
]]>
To call Bamboo versatile would be something of an understatement - it has been used in furniture production, pulp and paper making, as a sustainable, renewable fuel (when it is made into charcoal) and the fibres are also regularly used for textile making.
Bamboo is also often used for beautiful flooring and as a core, raw material in the construction industry right across the world.
Cutlery and tableware are also often made from bamboo, including bowls, table mats, chopsticks, and forks and it has also been used in the medicinal and pharmaceutical industry too (phew!)
Here at Brushbox, given its considerable advantages & benefits we decided back in 2017 that we were going to use bamboo a sustainable, super eco-friendly material for our Brushbox Toothbrushes.
So, what are the benefits of using bamboo instead of plastic?
The short answer is that is has many of plastic’s strengths without any of its drawbacks.
Here are a few of the reasons we chose it…
1) Bamboo is a super sustainable product which can help to offset CO2 emissions.While its growing, bamboo is awesome at trapping CO2 (just like other trees and plants) and actively reduces the greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere. This proactively helps to slow down the pace of global warming.
2) It grows quickly, between 70mm and 450mm per day. Yep, you read that right, it’s often cited as the fastest growing plant in the world. Bamboo matures in just two to six years and its height is around 100 times its diameter. This has huge benefits for anyone wanting to use it as a sustainable crop.
3) It grows in natural environments.Bamboo does not undergo the lengthy and polluting production process that plastic undergoes. Plastics are made from and use up non-renewable natural materials like coal, natural gas, and crude oil which we can’t put back. Bamboo on the other hand grows naturally and can be sustainably replaced without damaging the environment. Substances called fractions are produced and each contains chains of hydrocarbon. One fraction called naphtha is crucial for plastics production. During the production process, plastic with long polymer chains is created using heat.
4) It doesn’t have to go through significant changes to become usable. Bamboo can be used in its natural form, significantly reducing the resources such as power and other ingredients needed to produce any item made from it. Plastic often comes from crude oil and before this can be used, it must be processed and distilled in a refinery, using a considerable amount of energy in the process and generating damaging waste material.
5) It is as durable, versatile, and strong, as plastic. This is one of bamboo’s greatest advantages. It’s a tough plant which mimics the durability of plastic without the significant drawbacks to the environment.
6) It’s biodegradable! This is the big one. Bamboo toothbrush handles can be recycled in your garden waste bin, home composter and even go in your food waste bin. If you put it in your garden or food waste bins, it will be collected by the council and put into an industrial composter. These industrial composters can completely decompose the bamboo in a few weeks. Compare that to a plastic brush - which are often not recycled by local councils and instead sent to landfill (or enter our waterways) where they will sit for hundreds of years unchanged.
Make one small change today which could make such a difference. Sign you & your family up to a bi-monthly bamboo subscription service here.
]]>With today's access to information, they’ll see news reports about the climate crisis, footage from wildfires, flooding, and devastating storms and this could contribute to them feeling helpless and worried.
One of the best ways to help them cope is to show them that they can have a positive impact on our environment and that the situation isn’t in fact hopeless.
Make them feel they can make a difference; that we're all in this together. As well as helping to allay any anxiety, you’ll be growing your own mini eco warrior at the same time!
Here’s our handy 6-point guide to educating your youngster about how they can help create a positive impact for our planet:
Get your children excited about the environment by signing them up to our subscription box service. It even comes in their name, making the arrival of their new bamboo toothbrush an event. Discover more.]]>
The amount of plastic waste which gets into our oceans every year is expected to almost triple by 2040 - to a staggering 29 million tonnes. It’s also thought that the total plastic waste in the oceans will be at 600 million tonnes by 2040 without radical action.
]]>The amount of plastic waste which gets into our oceans every year is expected to almost triple by 2040 - to a staggering 29 million tonnes. This would bring the total plastic waste in our oceans to 600 million tonnes by the same date, unless radical action is taken.
Needless to say, these are pretty stark statistics.
They are however also the inspiration behind a new two-year research project ('Breaking the Plastic Wave') which highlights the failure of the current, existing global campaign to stop plastic pollution from flowing into our oceans.
Instead, the project’s creators (The Pew Charitable Trusts and B-Corp SYSTEMIQ Ltd) offer a comprehensive, evidence-backed report which recommends an ambitious plan to tackle the problem. In essence, they are calling for a total rethink of the global plastics industry shifting it to a circular economy, focussing in part on a global shift to reuse and recycle. This, the report concludes, could reduce the annual flow of plastic waste into our oceans by as much as 80% over the next 20 years.
What is a 'circular economy'?
This circular model separates creating something from the consumption of the Earth’s finite resources. There are 3 main planks to the concept:
The circular economy highlights the importance of a system needing to work with the planet instead of against it. A system that benefits everyone, including businesses (large and small) and individuals, both locally and globally.
One particular aspect of a circular approach means moving to a ban on single-use plastics and to using already existing materials to make new plastic items, in instances where this is needed.
Are there problems with this approach?
In short, yes. Whilst creating a circular economy for plastics will certainly be a great help, there are some plastic products which by their very nature are very difficult to recycle. In such instance's alternative, planet-friendly materials should be sought.
For example, most plastic toothbrushes on the market are not recyclable; because their small parts often getting stuck in the required machinery, but more commonly because the composite nature of the materials they are made from (a mixture of different grades of plastic and rubber) are tricky to separate back out into their component parts.
Given that the average person uses 300 toothbrushes in their lifetime and that there are 7 billion people on the planet (and rising), this means that unless we all consciously make the switch away from plastic toothbrushes, this could result in 2.1 trillion pieces of single-use plastic going into landfill and our oceans, which could have been avoided.
None of us want to imagine quite how big that plastic mass could be, even with the Earth’s 361 million km² of ocean.
So, will creating a circular economy for plastics stop ocean pollution? By itself, no. All of us need to totally rethink our own use of plastic (including plastic toothbrushes) and take steps to move to different, sustainable alternatives which don’t cause the same level of pollution and waste. By each playing our part, we become part of a wider drive which encourages change at a global level and only by all working together will we help stop plastics from polluting the ocean.
Small actions x lots of people = Big impact.
Make the change from plastic to sustainable bamboo toothbrushes now and help preserve our Planet, for you and your children. Sign up to make a difference today.
]]>National Recycling Day is on 15th November 2019, and while based in the US, we’ll take any excuse to tell you exactly why recycling is so necessary and so important.
When we’re talking about a zero-waste lifestyle, we tend to imagine that’ll mean a zero-consumption lifestyle. If the products that you choose to buy are ones that can be recycled, though (or reused), you can change your lifestyle to be zero waste, without compromising the things that you need to live your life.
Recycling instead of throwing things in general waste means that your rubbish won’t end up in landfill. Instead, it’ll be used to make new products again, like bottles, glass, and even clothing.
So, what changes can you make in your life to make sure you’re recycling as much as possible, and in the best way for the environment?
First off, before you throw anything away, remember your three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. You’ll notice that Recycling comes last – that’s because while it’s a great option, you should try to reduce the number of products you’re consuming first, and reuse the products that you do buy. If you buy something in a recyclable clear plastic bottle, for example, first reuse it as a water bottle until you recycle it when you’re finished with it.
Brush up on your local council’s recycling policy. Each locality has its own rules when it comes to recycling and it’s important to know what your local rules are so you’re not accidentally putting anything in the recycling bin that shouldn’t be there – or if you’re leaving something out that’s able to be recycled in your local area!
You’ll also want to make sure that you’re cleaning your packaging. If you’ve had your food in recyclable packaging, it’s best to wash it out. It’s easier to recycle clean packaging, not to mention it won’t smell and rot when out on the street.
It’s a great idea to buy packaging that is made from recycled materials. If you do this, you’ll be reducing your carbon footprint and further encouraging the recycling trend.
As well as buying packaging that’s made from something that’s been recycled, think ahead when you’re buying. When you’re in the shops, look at the packaging that you’re buying to check that it’ll be recyclable once you’re done with it. If there are recyclable alternatives to non-recyclable items, opt for those, instead.
Condense your waste: that means flattening cardboard boxes, squeezing down plastic bottles and scrunching up paper all in the process of getting as much into the bin as you can.
Empty your recycling bin regularly to stop it overflowing, and to encourage you to keep topping it up!
We hope our top tips will help you think about how much you’re recycling – and remind you to empty out your recycling bin now!
]]>
Here’s the maths ❤️ = 🌲
No, it’s not just a marketing ploy, we promise! Of course, we’d love to raise awareness about Brushbox, but what’s more important is that by encouraging people to like the post, we’re encouraging the awareness of sustainable choices.
Our aim is to further spread the message and normalise sustainability culture, allowing people to get involved and provoke others to take action. We want to spread the word about how easy it is to make sustainable choices, and why supporting sustainable businesses is so important.
Our goal with our partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects, is to be as transparent as possible, so you know the chain of the process, and why we’re actually doing this.
So now you know. Head back to our Instagram and plant a tree with a single touch of your screen! And while you’re there, why not tag a couple friends to encourage them to plant a tree too.
Let’s save the world, twice a day, together.
Find our Instagram here.
]]>We’ve partnered with Eden Reforestation Projects who work tirelessly to restore native forests and lift people out of extreme poverty, by employing local villagers to plant millions of trees every year.
Trees provide a habitat for animals, purify water sources, control flooding and erosion and help to replenish the soil with nutrients needed for farming. Deforestation and the destruction of healthy forests cause an array of problems. When farmers can’t grow crops and their farms fail, they often have no option but to look for work in overcrowded cities, sometimes resorting to selling themselves or their families into slavery, just to survive.
By working in at-risk regions in Nepal, Indonesia and Madagascar, The Eden Reforestation Project’s village-wide tree-planting program helps to provide food for villagers, shelter for wildlife, soil regeneration, and climate regulation - helping to improve the lives of people and the health of our forests.
It’s because of these many fabulous reasons that we decided to up the ante, and add an extra bit of giving to the Brushbox name by planting a tree for every bamboo brush bought.
“We are excited to have Brushbox as a new partner! Thank you for joining us to plant trees and save lives. We couldn’t do it without you!” - Eden Reforestation Projects
As we continue to gift brushes to kids who need them most, we’re also overjoyed to be making an environmental difference. We aim to be as transparent as possible, and keep our customers updated on how their toothbrushes are changing the world.
Giving back feels good, and knowing we can offset our carbon footprint whilst strengthening communities feels even better. Keep an eye on our social media for our updates on how many trees Brushbox has planted through Eden Reforestation Projects.
]]>The tradition of celebrating Bonfire Night in the UK dates back to 1605 and Guy Fawkes’ failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. To celebrate King James I’s survival of the Gunpowder Plot, people in the UK lit bonfires, and they have done every year since.
Over four hundred years, our conceptions of the world have changed (that might be a bit of an understatement…). It makes sense, then, that the way we celebrate Bonfire Night should change – and our priority is, of course, in making it as eco friendly as it can possibly be.
Bonfires are a source of air pollution, especially when what’s being burned isn’t natural (like rubber, petrol and other chemicals). It’s safer and more eco-friendly to make a smaller fire, made from natural, dry materials like wood and paper. You might even want to opt for a fire-free bonfire night, with artificial light displays instead, to save polluting the air even further.
Make sure, if you are building a bonfire, not to build it too far in advance of lighting it: not only do you run the risk of your bonfire getting damp in the inevitable November rain, but there’s a danger that animals like hedgehogs might mistake your bonfire for a shelter, and try to nestle inside. You should always make sure your bonfire is free of animals before lighting it!
Fireworks, too, contain harmful chemicals that pollute the air, which is one of the reasons that large-scale fireworks displays are getting fewer and further between. It’s best to attend a public fire display, not just for health and safety reasons, but also so as not to further contribute to the pollution caused by fireworks. You might want to volunteer to collect the litter left behind from firework remnants that fall to the ground (and litter left by those who haven’t been so careful with their sweets and drinks!).
Energy company, Ecotricity say that white fireworks are generally better for the environment, because they have less chemicals than the ones that have been used to dye coloured fireworks. They also suggest that fireworks that are ground-based, like Catherine Wheels, might be a more eco-friendly option, as there is less potential for debris to be spread further afield.
And what about sparklers? It feels like a vital part of Bonfire Night is watching the fireworks with your own sparkler in hand, but unfortunately, they’re difficult to dispose of sustainably. They can’t be recycled because of the fuel and oxidisers in them, and emit chemicals into the environment, just like fireworks. A better option might be to ditch the sparklers this year, and opt for candles or reusable, eco-friendly lights (perhaps solar powered ones) that won’t pollute the environment, and can last far longer than sparklers do.
When it comes to picking chemical-free alternatives to sparklers and fireworks, some argue that sky lanterns are a good alternative. However, while these lanterns don’t need chemicals to get going, once they set off they can end up anywhere. That means in animals’ natural habitats, on land and in water. It’s best to ditch these lanterns altogether, as well as any kind of waste product that you can’t keep an eye on: it’s always best to know exactly where your litter is going once you’re finished with it.
A zero-waste Bonfire Night might be impossible if you want to celebrate in the traditional way – but just because something’s traditional, it doesn’t necessarily mean we should keep doing it. Sometimes, a break in tradition is exactly what’s needed to keep things sustainable and fun.
So this Bonfire Night, why not try swapping the sparklers for solar-powered torches, the bonfire for candles and the fireworks for smaller scale light displays? That way, there’s still a chance to enjoy all the fun of Bonfire Night in your own home, as well as at the public display.
]]>
Toffee apples, chewy gummy sweets, fizzy drinks and chocolate: the best Halloween parties have them all, and they’re a must when trick-or-treating.
It doesn’t take a crazy scientist to know that all those sweets aren’t exactly the best idea to help you to take care of your teeth, though – and Halloween is best when the scares end as soon as the 31st October is over.
While enjoying the fun and sweet treats of Halloween, there are ways you can make sure that those treats don’t turn into tricks and come back to haunt you after all the Halloween fun.
We figure that you’ve probably got the basics (brush your teeth, don’t eat too many sweets) down, but we reckon it’s important to understand why these things are important. It’s only when you really know why you’re doing something that you take real care over doing it.
Tooth decay happens because acid inside your mouth attacks the enamel on your teeth – and that acid can come from sugar which interacts with the bacteria in the plaque on your teeth to attack your teeth. This can lead to a bunch of dental issues: mainly dental cavities. The more sugary foods we eat, the more acid that is produced as a waste product from bacteria in the plaque of our teeth, which uses sugar for energy. That means that there’s a greater risk of the enamel on our teeth, which is there to protect us, gradually dissolving over time. Reducing the amount of sugar we eat is the best way to reduce the number of cavities we suffer, but we can go a step further, too.
We’re not just talking about which ones taste the best – some sweets really are worse for your teeth than others. Sticky, slowly dissolving sweets are the worst because they hang around in your mouth for longer, meaning that the acids they produced are exposed to your teeth for longer. Picking sweets that have less acids, and stick around for less time, is a better choice (that means picking chocolate over a chewy lemon sweet that’s got citric acid in).
As well as reducing the number of sweets we eat, saving them for special occasions like trick-or-treating, we can take better care of our teeth by looking after our teeth to prevent tooth decay. Using a toothpaste that contains fluoride is one of the most effective ways to prevent tooth decay. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in water and has been linked to prevented tooth decay, which is way it’s added to toothpaste – in some areas, it’s added to the water supply through fluoridation.
It’s important to remember not to brush your teeth immediately after you’ve eaten sugary foods, though: because sugary foods weaken the enamel on your teeth, if you brush your teeth straight after, you can brush away tiny particles of enamel. You should wait at least one hour after eating to brush your teeth. Drinking water after eating sweets can help to dislodge and remove food particles though, without damaging enamel.
If you’re careful to follow our advice, you’ll be sure to avoid any nightmarish situations involving your teeth – and you won’t be kept up all night with toothache. And while we’re on the subject of sleep, it’s best you don’t gorge on all those sweets from trick-or-treating as soon as you arrive home at night. As well as being kept awake all night by the sugar rush, your mouth won’t be able to properly rebalance a healthy environment for your teeth. That’s because when we sleep, our mouths are dryer, and we produce less saliva. Saliva plays a really important role in protecting our teeth, and so if we sleep immediately after eating, we’re not giving it a chance to look after them.
We hope you have a seriously spooky Halloween – but, with our tips, manage to avoid any unexpected scares!
]]>That’s because in the sequel to the time-travelling sci-fi adventure film from 1989, where Doc and Marty travel to the future, the date they program into the DeLorean time machine is 21st October 2015.
And, while the film might not have got everything totally right about what 2015 was going to be like (we wish we had Marty’s hoverboard), every year it gets us thinking about what we would make our city of the future look like if we had the power to time travel.
So, strap into the Brushbox DeLorean, because we’re about to jump into the future and see what it’s got in store…
Doc and Marty travelled 26 years into the future and so are we. Except, we’re not fantasising about air-polluting flying cars and unsustainable self-drying jackets.
Instead, the future we’ve just stepped out into is fully of bike lanes, safe paths to walk down and the odd clean, quick, efficient and low-emission public transport vehicle; we’re dreaming that the citizens of 2045 will understand better than ever the implications of air and traffic pollution, and that councils and governments will have, too, making it easier for everyone to pick eco-friendly options for their travel.
The streets are lined with safe and hygienic bins and almost all packaging is now recyclable. In fact, the majority of packaging is reusable; everybody carries their own containers which they can take to supermarkets and fill up with what they need, avoiding buying excess. It’s a zero-waste success.
And fashion – well, fashion hasn’t changed all that much. That’s because people have woken up to the detrimental impact of fast fashion on the environment and have begun to upcycle their clothes and buy second-hand from one another. The same materials are getting a longer lifespan and people are reimagining ways in which they can wear the same clothes in new ways. The clothes we are wearing are the same, but the way we’re wearing them is different – which means no new waste, reusing what we’ve already got in order that we don’t worsen the problems already made by fast fashion.
The biggest change that’s visible everywhere is the lack of plastic. It’s been replaced by far more sustainable alternatives, like paper and – where more sturdy alternatives are needed – bamboo. Bamboo water bottles, lunch boxes, cutlery and coffee cups dominate as the eco-conscious public’s demand for plastic alternatives has driven plastic off the shelves and made way for environmentally friendly materials to become the new normal.
In fact, while tech and the Internet are useful in the year 2045 for finding out information quickly and shopping conveniently, our main concerns and progress haven’t been with tech (at least, in the Brushbox vision of the future). Ironically, it’s a return to the simpler way of life that’s dominated: less traffic, less plastic and less of all the business and waste that we’ve come to associate with modern life.
It’s this slower pace that allows people to think about and reflect on where their waste is going, mindful of their impact on the environment around them. In 2045, the general public continues to vote with their feet, demanding eco-friendly alternatives to products that have a harmful impact on the environment.
Okay, okay – so we know that not everything in our vision of 2045 can come true, but it’s not impossible.
We believe at Brushbox that it really does just take one small change to begin changing the world; that if we all work together to change our habits and reject products and practices that are bad for the environment, that we can make long lasting changes for the future.
And, while we wish we had a DeLorean, changing the future for us isn’t as easy as travelling back and forth in a time machine. We’ve got to start making changes now, so that 5, 10, or even 26 years from now, we can make the world a better, kinder place to live.
]]>But 15th October is World Maths Day, and at Brushbox, we think every day is worth celebrating – especially when they’re ones that are important to people (in this case, mathematicians everywhere!).
So how does an eco-friendly toothbrush subscription service celebrate World Maths Day? With eco-friendly, toothbrush-subscription related maths questions, of course! (Yeah, we know, it’s probably the worst pitch you’ve ever heard. But stick with it, it’s going to be better than it sounds. At least a little bit better.)
Q: In 1950, the world produced 2 million tonnes of plastic a year. In 2015, this number was 190.5 times bigger. How many tonnes of plastic was produced in 2015?
A: 381 million tonnes of plastic.
That’s right, the amount of plastic produced globally is now roughly the same as the mass of two-thirds of the world population. While many cynics who don’t want to abandon plastic say that the plastic war has come out of the blue, it’s the rapid production of plastic that’s the real shock, with hundreds of millions of tonnes of plastic left to litter landfill and oceans.
Q: A group of fifty volunteers go litter picking across a mile-long stretch of beach in the UK. Each of them collect one hundred pieces of litter. How many pieces of litter were found on the beach?
A: 5,000 pieces.
Approximately 5,000 items of marine plastic pollution have been found per mile of beach in the UK – and over 150 plastic bottles litter each mile of UK beaches. 100,000 marine mammals and turtles as well as 1 million sea birds are killed by marine plastic pollution annually. The effects of plastic pollution aren’t just that litter is an eyesore, but that it is having a devastating impact on the ecosystems where it’s littered.
Q: 9% of all plastic waste ever produced has been recycled. 12% has been incinerated. What is the percentage of the remaining plastic?
A: 79%.
That leftover plastic has accumulated in landfills, dumps and the natural environment. For years, many of us have used products like water bottles, food wrappers and plastic bags without thinking about what happens to them when we’re finished with them. But that ‘out of sight, out of mind’ attitude is what’s got us in a mess – and we need to start holding ourselves accountable for the plastic we use.
Q: 20,000 plastic drinks bottles are bought globally every second. How many are bought a day?
A: 1,728,000,000.
That’s one billion, seven hundred and twenty-eight million, which is one of the biggest numbers we’ve ever written down. While (we hope) some of the people that purchase those bottles will reuse them as water bottles that they can refill on-the-go, most of these bottles will be discarded as soon as they’re used. In 2016, 480 billion plastic bottles were sold.
Q: Sarah bought a plastic bottle in 1992 and threw her litter in a nearby bush when she couldn’t find a bin. In 2442, her plastic bottle has just about biodegraded. How many years did the bottle take to biodegrade?
A: 450 years.
And even then, it’s likely that micro plastic particles will be left behind. And, even though something lasting for 450 years might seem like a cool-time-travel-magic story, this plastic bottle will be one of billions that pollute and damage the earth’s environment for hundreds of years to come.
How did you score? And what did you learn by using your maths skills to answer our questions?
Mathematicians and scientists are helping us to understand the plastic pollution problem by using equations far more complicated than the ones we’ve given (but we’re Brushbox, not brainboxes) to reflect, analyse and predict plastic pollution trends globally.
It’s important that we listen to their findings in order to know what our next steps should be. If we look at statistics and evidence, we have a better idea of what changes we need to make in order to combat the damage that plastic is having on our environment – and it looks like a first step is ditching plastic in order to go for environmentally-friendly alternatives.
We hope you enjoyed a Brushbox-style maths test more than your average sums! And, if we’ve got you wondering how you can ditch some of the plastic in your life, check out our bamboo toothbrushes at www.brushbox.com – you’ll never look at a plastic brush the same way.
]]>The initiative is a huge success in the US, and when us lot found out about it, we wanted to chat about the ways that choosing to walk instead of drive to school, work, or just out and about, can have a long-lasting impact not just on your health but on the environment around us here in the UK as well as overseas.
Transport is the biggest source of air and noise pollution in the UK. According to Environmental Protection UK, of the 34 million vehicles on our roads, 28 million are cars, and road transport is one of the biggest sources of pollution in the UK, contributing to poor air quality, noise disturbance, congestion and climate change. Road transport accounts for 22% of total UK emissions of carbon dioxide, which is a major contributor to climate change.
With so many cars on our roads, the impact of carbon dioxide is getting worse by the day – and as our understanding of its detrimental effects grows, there’s not much excuse to keep destroying the air we breathe.
That’s why we think National Walk and Bike to School Day is such a great idea: because it has the potential to not only reduce emissions for a short space of time, but to act as a demonstration, and draw attention to how easy it is to avoid unnecessary carbon emissions.
The fab news is that there are schemes in the UK, too, which encourage walking and biking to school. Living Streets is an organisation with a simple aim: to get every child that can, walking to school, for the same reasons that we think it’s so important. Living Streets say that walking to school has the threefold benefit of healthier, happier children, less congested streets and cleaner air.
Living Streets has been campaigning for safer streets for 90 years, but has shifted its focus to include the benefit of cleaner air for all who live in cities and congested areas as the damaging impact of traffic pollution has become ever more evident.
October also marks the beginning of International Walk to School Month, and this year Living Streets want to make the walk to school safer and easier for everyone.
Living Streets use real action to put pressure on local councils, staging road closures to force people to walk and urging people to write to their local councillor to appeal for changes to congestion in their local area.
The pressure from groups like Living Streets has had a successful impact – in 2017, the UK government announced their Cycling and walking investment strategy, which set out the government’s ambition to make walking and cycling a natural choice for shorter journeys and as part of longer journeys by 2040.
It goes to show how far people power and pressure can go: that if we lead by example, we can make real change.
And, if you’re feeling a bit peeved that we’re banging on about how easy it is to walk everywhere when you’re living far away from any public transport, and miles walking distance, even small changes to your lifestyle can have a huge impact; walk and ride - or walk and stride – schemes mean that you don’t have to drive all the way into busy cities, so you can still reduce congestion and air pollution.
So, if you’re going to walk or bike to school this month (or at all in the future), here are our top tips:
With school and uni getting underway, sometimes it feels like your brain just doesn’t want to switch back on after months without even picking up a pen.
Focusing is difficult at the best of times, and it’s not made any easier by the fact that the start of a new term usually means new friends, new social events and, basically, more reasons to stay away from your desk and the pile of work you’ve got to do.
Most of us, when we think of boosting our grades, turn to our favourite study playlists, best study spaces and much-needed caffeine boosts in the hopes of having a few super-focused, productive hours.
But is that really all there is to it? Is it really as simple as sitting down and getting it done?
Well, in short, no.
Improving grades is about far more than just focusing for a few hours: it’s about making those hours and that study time as productive as possible.
So how can you do that?
Jan Stanley, in a Tedx Talk about the power of routines says that the answer lies in habits, practices and rituals – that routines are a “bridge between strategy and action”.
Her passion for routine comes from her belief that routine can revolutionise the way we think about our days and lives. It’s one thing, Stanley says to come to the end of the day and realise you’ve forgotten to do a task – it’s another to come to the end of your life and realise that a whole life goal hasn’t been achieved.
That’s more likely to happen without routine, says Stanley. Even artists and creatives need routine, and it doesn’t have to be the monotonous, boring ordeal we’ve come to regard it as. A good routine can help us to get a lot more done than attempting to work without one.
This is because once we make a routine out of the things we’ve got to do daily, we know exactly how much time we have to relax around our routine. Plus, certain ‘rituals’, as Stanley calls them, can get us in the right mindset for the rest of our day.
That means if we start and end our days with certain ‘signals’, we’ll be better prepared to study – and find it easier to switch off at the end of the day, too.
So, if your morning routine consistently includes brushing your teeth, eating breakfast and having a cup of tea, you’ll be far better set to get going for the day than if you have no direction or routine.
Stanley says that our horror at finding we’ve arrived at work or school having forgotten to brush our teeth is because our morning routine has been interrupted. If we’re committed to our routines, we won’t start the day on a bad note.
How can we make sure that we stick to our routines, then?
Life is constantly going to throw us unavoidable obstacles that interrupt our routines and day-to-day lives; it’s just about finding ways to limit the number of obstacles in our way where we can.
For instance, Stanley’s example of forgetting to brush our teeth can have more of a serious effect than we might have thought at first glance. Tooth decay is the number one reason children take time off school, which indicates that this disruption to their daily school routine could be prevented with proper care for their teeth. The same goes for other daily hygiene routines that have become second nature: skipping them for one day could mean in the future, our routines are interrupted in a way that’s out of our control.
Some interruptions to our focusing, then, are actually completely avoidable: it’s just about setting up sustainable habits that make interruptions harder to occur.
So, counterintuitively, keeping focused and improving your studies is actually less about channelling all of your energy into one specific task you need to get done, and more about following routines and habits that shape your day and life. If your routine is sorted, your time becomes far more productive, and you can study without that nagging feeling that there’s something else you’ve got to get done.
Good luck – and don’t forget to brush your teeth!
]]>With so much to do (okay, the morning routine isn’t that complicated, but when you’re that bleary-eyed it can feel like you’re moving in slow motion) sometimes it feels like you can’t squeeze it all in. With so many of us looking for a way to get out of the house quicker (or steal an extra few minutes in bed), we’re looking for something to give in the morning. The problem is, a recent study has found that one in five Brits only brush their teeth once a day – meaning the part of their morning routine they’re letting slip is their morning brush.
There are endless health benefits to brushing your teeth (which you can find on our website), and being so important, simply not worth skipping out on. So how can you squeeze brushing your teeth into your morning routine when it feels like there’s simply no time?
If there’s one thing we make a priority in the morning, it’s teeth-brushing (I mean, we’re hardly going to show up to the Brushbox office without having brushed our teeth, are we?) So if anyone knows how to make sure your teeth get the brush they deserve in the morning (that’s a full two minutes), it’s us. Thing is, we rush as much as anyone else, and when thinking about whether we really always manage to stand in front of the mirror for a full two minutes, we discovered that most of us have a few tricks up our sleeve to make sure our teeth get brushed – even if that means multitasking.
It’s the oldest trick in the book. Toothpaste on the brush, get brushing and get rushing. Standing in the doorway, using your free hand to flick the kettle switch, pull your shoes on, or stuff your laptop in your bag, this run-around-toothbrushing-scene is all too familiar in our morning routines. It’s living proof that there’s never too little time to brush your teeth – two minutes can always be found in the morning, even if they’re the same two minutes you use to do something else!
The only problem with that route is that you’re probably not going to do as good a job as you could without your shoelaces taking up your time, too.
That led us to our next problem: how can we make sure we’re always setting aside two minutes every morning and not neglecting a task that’s central to our oral and mental health?
We’ve compiled a list of top tips that encourage us to make sure we’re always setting aside the time we need for our dental routines.
It’s our favourite, so it goes first. There’s no easier way to make two minutes speed by (and enjoy them, too) than sticking on your favourite 2-minute long song and brushing from start to finish. Plus, you can get some dancing in, or in the mirror pretend you’re starring as the main character in the opening titles of a new film (say what you like – we all do it!).
We talked last week about memory, and one of our tips is perfect for that morning rush. Setting an alarm to sound a few minutes before you’ve got to leave (or at any point you’ve got in the morning, whatever works best for you) that’s labelled reminding you to brush your teeth is a great way to make sure you give the task the priority and attention it deserves.
If in doubt, take the toothbrush out. That’s right – if you’ve really not got the time to brush your teeth in the morning because you pressed the snooze button one too many times, stick your toothbrush and some paste in your bag to take with you and brush your teeth in the bathroom of your workplace (though, be prepared that some people might ask what you’re up to before you’ve had the chance to spit).
So there you’ve got it – even on the days where it feels like you can’t possibly squeeze anything in, there’s always two minutes to spare for your teeth!
]]>Scientists and psychologists have long-theorised the reasons behind forgetting – and, most importantly, ways that we can remember, too.
The thing is, while we might think that some of us are blessed with a good memory and others cursed with forgetfulness, studies are increasingly showing that most humans have the same brain capacity: it’s just about training our brains to remember.
That’s what journalist Joshua Foer discovered when he visited the USA National Memory Championship to ask competitors when they discovered their talent for memorising. He found that their answer wasn’t what he expected – instead, the competitors explained that Joshua could be just as good as them at memorising, if he used the right techniques.
The main technique Joshua employed was creating a ‘memory palace’ (fans of Sherlock might be familiar with the concept). Humans’ visual and special memory is far better than our ability to remember abstracts words and figures. Joshua explains that once he gave words and items he needed to remember some context (for example, instead of remembering someone is called, ‘Baker’, imagining them as a literal baker) he was able to remember them far easier than before.
The technique is millennia old and was used by Roman emperors like Cicero to memorise entire speeches. It’s so adaptable, in fact, that when Joshua returned to the National Memory Championship the following year with his new skills, he won the entire contest!
So, if the technique is so effective, why have we stopped using it?
Joshua thinks that technology might have something to do with it. Over hundreds of years, the invention of paper, pens, the printing press, computers and smart phones has meant that we are more easily able to ‘externalise’ our memory.
This means that instead of keeping our memory active by constantly memorising new information, we can store it in external filing systems and access it when we need it – meaning, we are less easily able to memorise chunks of information.
It’s all well and good to be able to memorise a pack of randomly shuffled cards, but what about the day-to-day forgetting: you know, like not remembering to buy milk when you pop to the shop?
While our long-term memory can be impacted by a range of factors, day-to-day, scientists including Adam Gazzaley, who researches memory issues, explains that ‘interference’ is one of the main causes of memory loss.
Interference is easy to explain and easier to recognise in our own behaviour. Simply put, if you’re trying to do one task – say, put your keys down on the kitchen counter – while another task is ‘interfering’ with that – like replying to a text on your phone – you’re not going to be able to process the first task. And so, you won’t be able to remember where you put your keys.
So there’s a pretty easy solution, really; Gazzaley says that we need to focus on each task as we’re undertaking it. That means sticking your keys down and then answering the text. Focusing on task by task will help you process each one and remember it’s been done.
But, like Joshua said, we live in a world where we’ve grown to rely on things other than our brain to remember – and creating a memory palace takes time and effort that we haven’t always got. So, now that we understand why we don’t remember things, what can we do to prompt ourselves to complete our daily chores when we might have forgotten them?
There are some super quick fixes for remembering those day-to-day tasks.
Setting alarms and reminders is the most fool proof solution to remembering to do something – mostly because it avoids having to remember once you’ve logged it. If you need to get something handed in before the end of the day; to call that friend; to take your laundry out of the machine, just stick an alarm on and worry no more.
Making to-do lists at the start of the day to remind you of everything you’ve got to do is another way to stay focused. You can consult your list throughout the day, every time you feel a bit aimless or lost. Plus, it’ll help you to stay focused, stopping that interference from spoiling your memory processing.
Or, there’s the option that requires no remembering at all – getting stuff done immediately. When you remember that there’s a chore that needs doing, if you can do it, get it out of the way.
There you have it – a scientific explanation behind why we forget, and a bunch of not-so scientific solutions to help you remember.
So, next time you get into bed and realise you've forgotten to brush your teeth, run back and stick something in the bathroom that'll help you remember for next time: whether it's a sticky note, phone alarm, or a toothbrush-focused memory palace!
]]>September often feels like a fresh start, but we don’t give it the same celebration that we give to January, meaning that it can instead feel monotonous and tiring.
Whether you’re a parent waving goodbye to your little one on the doorstep (sadness mixed with that tinge of relief…), a student headed back to uni digs (freedom mixed with saying goodbye to regular nutritious food) or back at work in the same old slog, there are ways to kickstart your pseudo-new year and inject some energy into your routine when you’re feeling lacklustre.
Change up your routine
One of the reasons that getting back into that September routine is because it often feels like every September that’s come before it. That feeling of déjà vu reminds us of what we were doing last year, or the year before, and can make us feel like we haven’t progressed in the ways that we have or have hoped to.
If we change up our September routine, we can shift our focus to the here and now, beating that déjà vu and monotony of the same old routine. A lot of back-to-school changes are focused on buying new products; bags, pencil cases, pens and lunchboxes. At Brushbox, we believe that you should consume as little plastic as possible and avoid fast fashion where you can with the aim of protecting the environment (and, of course, being kind to your pursestrings). So what are the best ways to do that while still making a change?
We always start with music. Studies have proven time and again that music evokes memories, which is great when you want to reminisce, but not so ideal when those memories hit you when you’re not expecting them. At Brushbox, we love making monthly playlists on Spotify to change up our music monthly – that way, if we want to be reminded of last year’s songs, we can tune in, but otherwise we can keep our music fresh and our music selection growing. It’s an easy and free way to give you a fresh perspective and soundtrack this September.
Our next move when we’re trying to shake up our routine is to take up a new hobby. For most of us at the Brushbox office, this September we’ve been taking on running, dancing, swimming and cycling – after a long summer of barbecues and lazy beach days we needed the shock to the system! Anything can make this September different from the rest though, whether it’s taking up a new sport, reading a new book or travelling to new places (when you get the time). When you make a marked change in your activities, you begin to see the new month as a true new start, rather than a monotonous repeat of last year.
We know that music brings back memories, and so do smells (nice ones, of course…). Soap is an unavoidable purchase, so why not change up your toiletries when they need replacing this month by picking new flavours and smells that will set the month apart? Plus, replacing everything in your bathroom that needs a freshen up, like soaps and other toiletries, is the perfect opportunity to make the shift towards making your bathroom more sustainable (you can read our top tips here). That way, even though you’re investing in new products, you’re cutting down on your plastic use and making steps to make a better world.
Our priority when it comes to changing up our routine is, of course, our toothbrushes. Brushbox subscribers never have to worry about making an effort to change their brush once they’ve made the switch to bamboo - we send them a new toothbrush every other month, so their bathroom is constantly looking ship-shape.
Changing up your routine doesn’t have to cost the earth, and it is one of the simplest ways that you can get out of that September rut.
How will you be changing your routine up to beat the September blues?
]]>Max La Manna is the author of ‘More Plants, Less Waste’ – he encourages a plant based diet with zero food waste, and encourages reducing the waste we produce on a daily basis in order to tackle the plastic and litter problems that are destroying our planet. His recipes look incredible, and show us how living ethically can be so much more exciting than living a wasteful lifestyle!
Lauren Singer leads a totally waste-free life: so much so that she can fit eight years of rubbish into one jar! She set up her Package Free Shop (@packagefreeshop) to help others do the same, and documents her waste-free life on Instagram, where she raises awareness of the damage of popular non-recyclable materials and single-use plastics.
Jo is Vegan activist who advocates for a low-waste, low-emissions lifestyle. She discourages travelling via plane in order to reduce carbon emissions and hits back at fast fashion and wasteful ways of life. Jo is moving to Wales this term to study at CAT toward an MSc in Sustainability & Adaptation Planning – how exciting!
Amy and Ella are on a mission to make the world #PlasticClever and are encouraging young people like them to pick up litter – they’ve picked up over 100,000 pieces of litter so far! They’re taking their mission to Westminster to fight for real change. We were shocked by a post that showed a 20-year-old crisp packet they’d found while litter picking, that looked in pristine condition (minus the mud!). It goes to show just how long these materials stick around for, and how very harmful they are to our environment.
Bea Johnson lives package-free, waste free and encourages others to do the same. She promotes the use of buying bulk and reusing old containers to reduce consumption of single-waste plastic, and is taking her mission to big corporations like Starbucks and L’Oreal with the aim of raising awareness of and corporate responsibility for plastic waste.
Rob Greenfield is on a mission to grow and forage 100% of his food for an entire year as part of his off-grid lifestyle. And, while we might not live as extreme a lifestyle as Rob, his efforts set a great example to those of us who think leaving plastic-packaged food behind is impossible, proving that to be untrue.
Kate Nelson hasn’t used single-use plastics for over a decade and uses Instagram to raise awareness of their damaging impact on the ocean. She advocates for mindfulness, sustainability, and producing as little waste as possible in a fight against ocean pollution. She also discusses the harmful impact of microplastics on our oceans and their presence in our diets, urging us further to say goodbye to plastic.
Anita Vandyke is here to show us that living a zero-waste lifestyle isn’t rocket science, and it doesn’t have to break the bank either. Anita’s Instagram page is chock-full of sustainable alternatives to everyday items: whether it’s keeping existing plastic items in circulation by upcycling and reusing them, or finding non-plastic alternatives, Anita provides both budget and investment suggestions to demonstrate that going plastic-free isn’t as expensive (or as inconvenient) as we might imagine.
Tim advocates for reducing our plastic consumption and waste in order to fight back against plastic pollution in the ocean. He founded ‘Take 3 for the Sea’ (@Take3fortheSea) which encourages everybody to take three pieces of litter away with them every time they go to the beach – if we all work together, we can fight plastic pollution!
Megean Weldon has a minimalist, zero-waste lifestyle and encourages others to do the same: she shows how fun and full a zero-waste lifestyle can be while giving handy tips to living the lifestyle yourself.
So there’s our top-ten list of our favourite Instagrammers – we hope they inspire you as much as they have us! Don't forget you can follow us on Instagram, too - @brushboxuk.
]]>The Notting Hill Carnival is one of the world’s largest street festivals, attracting around one million people every year. It’s a celebration of Caribbean culture, filled with music, colour and creativity; there’s Caribbean street food and dancing, as well as ornate costumes and live music acts all weekend.
Year after year, all this fun has come at unnecessary cost. In 2017, carnival-goers left behind 300 tonnes of waste. Residents of Notting Hill often go away over the festival to avoid the barrage of litter left by visitors to the carnival.
With over one million people attending each year, it’s inevitable that the streets won’t be left squeaky-clean as they were to begin with: the work of street cleaners in invaluable in the days following the festival, and it’s great to see so many people that care about making sure the environment is well looked-after.
As with most things, though, prevention is better than cure. If everyone in attendance does their little bit towards reducing waste at a festival – so, how can you make sure that you’re being as eco-conscious as possible while you enjoy the carnival weekend? Here are our top tips for having a great time while not leaving a trace.
]]>
First thing’s first: before you upcycle your box, you’ve got to decorate it. Well, you don’t have to decorate it, but there’s nothing that marks the new life of your Brushbox like a fresh new suit. If you’ve got a creative streak, or want to let little ones run wild, get out the paint and pens for an afternoon of artistry. For a blank slate, just stick some plain white or brown paper on the box first. If you’d prefer something a little less time consuming – and, let’s be honest, probably neater – grab some wrapping paper in a pretty print and wrap up the box like you’re wrapping a present (though, of course, wrap the lid separately so you can still open it!). We went for white paper (two pieces of A4 covered the whole box) and doodled with felt-tip pens while watching Netflix: it made for a pretty relaxing afternoon! We also decided to stick a handy ‘IMPORTANT STUFF’ label on the front – you know, to make sure people know exactly what’s inside.
Your new Brushbox can be used to store sheets, make-up brushes, stationery: basically anything you want to stick inside. We’ve found Brushboxes are the perfect size for eyeshadow brushes and smaller single eyeshadows, too. It’s perfect for on-the-go storage and doesn’t have to be shoved in the same awkward way that you push your make-up bag into your already-too-full bigger bag. Just pop it into the back of your bag and you’re away!
We don’t need to list everything you could possibly store in a box, but we find them super handy for pens and pencils, too – especially for kids. They’re easy to pop in a bag and take out and about – and seeing as your little one can scribble straight onto the box, you’ve not got to worry about paper. They’re fab for storing drawings and paintings too – you won’t lose sight of those hundreds of colouring sheets anymore!
Inside all of our Brushboxes are quick tips for a healthier mouth and whiter smile. If you’re recycling your Brushbox, you can still save these top tips as a reminder for little ones (or for yourself on those days when brushing your teeth seems like a mammoth task). Just cut neatly around the six tips for a smart-looking postcard that can be pinned up in your bathroom to remind you that every step of brushing your teeth is just as important as the next.
Everyone knows that old cardboard boxes are a goldmine when it comes to kids’ DIY projects, and Brushbox has got your back here, too. The open-and-close lid makes for a perfect frame for a homemade puppet show theatre!
We used the box that we’d cut our top toothbrush tips out of, the square gap left behind making for a perfect frame around the stage. We unfolded the top of the box before we cut it, so we could make the smallest, neatest cut possible. That meant when we taped it back together, the cut was hardly visible! Our box is left plain here, but you could also decorate your box to create a photo frame, or doll-up your stage area a little.
This is one of our favourites; not only because it seems like the perfect eco-friendly way to give a new life to your Brushbox, but because it looks so cute. We covered the box in green paper and used blue paper for our “sky”.
Cotton wool makes for great clouds (of course) – we cut up small circular cotton wool pads, which made it easier to cut cartoon cloud-shapes. The shallow Brushbox can be filled with soil to grow small herbs and plants and for an even sweeter garden, you could decorate the lid.
We hope this has got you thinking afresh about ways you can repurpose your Brushbox, or any other boxes you’ve got lying about the house. We had way too much fun getting stuck in. And don’t forget – if you don’t fancy repurposing, you can always recycle. Just don’t let anything go to waste!
]]>