All toothpaste tubes now recyclable

Whether you are a roller or a squeezer, the age old question of what to do with the tube once every inch of toothpaste has been used has finally been answered. For Recycle Week 2025 (22 to 28 September), the humble toothpaste tube has become recyclable and should head for the recycling and not the bin from now on, meaning less landfill for the UK.

Each year more than 252 million tubes of fluoride fresh toothpaste are sold in the UK. Twice a day, millions of us brush our teeth – yet until now, those toothpaste tubes have been a recycling nightmare, with tubes traditionally containing a sheet of aluminium sandwiched between the plastic rendering them a recycling nightmare. Now, that changes. In a landmark move driven by toothpaste brands including Colgate and Haleon, the makers of Sensodyne, Corsodyl and Aquafresh – in partnership with climate action NGO WRAP and industry, the UK’s second most ‘wish cycled’ item is finally recyclable.

Now, toothpaste tubes can be made from the same material as milk bottles using high density polyethylene. This means all tubes, sold nationwide, can now be technically 100% recyclable and can be recycled into a range of new items, from garden furniture and plastic piping to bleach bottles.

The new tubes are collected by a growing number of local authorities via their kerbside collections (currently 37 authorities across the UK), or at any Boots store across the UK. WRAP recommends checking if your local authority collects tubes via the Recycle Now Locator.

Catherine David, WRAP CEO, said: ‘This is another game changing moment for recycling. In partnership with Colgate and Haleon, we have taken one of the most infuriating packaging formats and given it a sustainable makeover. We are on a mission to ensure all items that can be recycled are recycled, and I am delighted that now no toothpaste tube need become a landfilling! And many other items that we bin can in fact be recycled so if unsure, check the Recycle Now locator and keep the packaging out of the bin.’

More and more local authorities are now accepting toothpaste tubes, with three million households now able to accept tubes in their kerbside collections alongside plastic pots, tubs and trays, which are made of the same material. WRAP, which works with councils to improve and increase collections, is leading a drive to encourage more to check with their recycling facilities and add toothpaste tubes to their collections.

Adrian Sen, sustainability innovation senior manager, Colgate-Palmolive, said: ‘At Colgate-Palmolive, we are reimagining a healthier future for people, their pets and our planet. We are committed to making all our packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable and have been a pioneer in introducing recyclable toothpaste tubes to the market. It is important to us to make this technology available to all. The leadership and collaborative spirit of WRAP has been vital in helping to make this a reality and create awareness with consumers. Its work in bringing together industry, local authorities, and consumers is crucial for building a more circular economy. We are grateful for its guidance and partnership as we continue our journey to eliminate plastic waste and reimagine a healthier future for all people and our planet.’

Joe Muscat, environmental sustainability and innovation director, Haleon, said: ‘WRAP’s collaborative approach and deep expertise have been instrumental in helping Haleon ‘rescue’ materials that were once considered unrecyclable. Thanks to WRAP’s leadership, we have turned toothpaste tubes from unrecyclable waste into packaging that can now be part of a truly circular economy. With more local authorities starting to collect them, we are urging others to follow suit and help rescue millions more tubes from the rubbish bin.’

Boots continues to support Recycle Week, with stores across the UK accepting toothpaste tubes and other hard to recycle items through their Recycle at Boots scheme, where Advantage Card points can be earned for participating.

Candice Smith, head of ESG at Boots, said: ‘We love helping our customers to be more sustainable with their habits at home, so are pleased that recycling toothpaste tubes is going to become easier for everyone in the future. In the meantime, you can still recycle all of your hard to recycle health and beauty empties, including old toothbrushes, empty serum tubes, plastic packaging from wipes, and cosmetic packaging at Boots – and get rewarded in the process!’

The tube revolution comes as the UK celebrates the annual Recycle Week, delivered by WRAP’S Recycle Now campaign in partnership with businesses and local authorities. With toothpaste tubes now in the crosshairs for many recycling crews, three new characters have also been added to the Rescue Me! Recycle campaign to raise awareness of the range of common household items that can be recycled, but too often end up in the residual bin.

These include aluminium foil, shampoo bottles, toothpaste tubes, trigger sprays, aerosols, yoghurt pots, aftershave and perfume bottles, and toilet roll tubes. WRAP estimates that approximately 79% of households miss two items or more on average per week, meaning 2.3 billion of these items are binned every year when they could be recycled.

Recycle Now is urging consumers to rescue these recyclables from the rubbish by checking via the Recycle Now Recycling Locator what is accepted as part of their kerbside collection, household recycling centres or through in-store retail collections.