Colgate Launches Recyclable Toothpaste Tube with "Recycle Me!" Packaging in the U.S.
Colgate-Palmolive's tube, the first to be recognized by external recycling authorities as recyclable, is made from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), the same No. 2 plastic used for milk and detergent bottles. Recycling the tube alongside plastic bottles requires no extra steps -- no rinsing, cutting or cleaning before tossing it into a recycling bin.
But making a toothpaste tube that is recyclable is only half the battle. Traditionally, since most of the world's toothpaste tubes are made with a mix of materials, they have not been recycled. Globally, that adds up to 20 billion toothpaste tubes a year that get tossed in the trash.