BIODEGRADABLE disposable toilet bowl brush/ scrubber?

buggles · May 2010

I'd rather not have a toilet brush that my crawling infant can play with. So is there a disposable kind that exists that I can feel comfortable with either throwing away or flushing?

Does such a MANUFACTURED thing exist?

Mrs.MauiBride24 · May 2010

disposable usually =/= green

Can you just keep a regular toilet brush hidden in a cupboard? Where do you store your plunger?

buggles · May 2010

Well, I mean disposable as in biodegradable.

CDMay2006 · May 2010

buggles:
Well, I mean disposable as in biodegradable.

There is a lot of confusion in the general public (much of it because of "green washing") about "green" terms, such as biodegradable. While disposable simply means an item can be thrown away, it is generally also interpreted to mean it is thrown away after few uses. The less you throw away, the better (obviously), but "biodegradable" addresses the way that refuse behaves in the landfill/ground/compost/etc. There are many products that biodegrade only under certain circumstances (soaps, only in soil; plastics in high-temperature, moist conditions, etc.). Biodegrading means that the composite parts break down into tiny, non-reactive (inert) parts, but they don't go away... in some cases the result is tiny bits of plastic in surface water (for instance). (Compostable means that the parts it breaks down into bits that are ecologically useful).

With that in mind, i second the suggestion to store it in a cupboard. If that doesn't work, then a compromise would be to minimize the waste you are producing and find a brush with disposable heads that attach to a handle you continue to use. Supposedly there are "biodegradable" ones out there, but i've not actually seen them... perhaps something with a reusable handle and a plant fiber pad that composts?

Jen&Joe06 · May 2010

You can get the brushes that have a base with them that basically covers the whole thing.

pixieprincss · May 2010

CDMay gives some great info and makes a great point about green washing. I think a key thing to add is that landfills are not designed to even allow such breaking down, which requires air circulation, and a blend of carbon and nitrogen. Even something biodegradable will sit, essentially preserved, in a standard landfill. Even a compostable head will only biodegrade if it is in a pile managed to actually compost things.

OP-Your best bet is to use something that will last a lifetime and then keep it clean and out of crawling areas.

~NB~ · May 2010

There's a door on your bathroom, right? Confused

SuperGreen · May 2010

pixieprincss:

CDMay gives some great info and makes a great point about green washing. I think a key thing to add is that landfills are not designed to even allow such breaking down, which requires air circulation, and a blend of carbon and nitrogen. Even something biodegradable will sit, essentially preserved, in a standard landfill. Even a compostable head will only biodegrade if it is in a pile managed to actually compost things.

OP-Your best bet is to use something that will last a lifetime and then keep it clean and out of crawling areas.

This. Biodegradeable items won't break down in a landfill, they sit there preserved because there's no air circulation. Pixie is also right about compostable items. They make scrubbers that are in their own little holder, or you could store it in a cupboard. While "biodegradeable" cleaning heads may be available, I think it's a waste of money to buy something that doesn't actually break down like it claims to. You're much better off buying something permanent and figuring out how to store it. That's the cheaper option too Wink

nanner29 · May 2010

what about those toilet brushes made by scrubbing bubbles with the flushable cleaning pads?

BIODEGRADABLE disposable toilet bowl brush/ scrubber?

Re: BIODEGRADABLE disposable toilet bowl brush/ scrubber?

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