It comes in dry tab form. Just bite and brush!

Have you ever thought about what happens to toothpaste tubes once you squeeze out the last blob and toss it in the trash? The answer is nothing! They last forever – well, 500 years is the rough estimate. Because a typical tube contains 11 layers of plastics, polymers and resins, toothpaste tubes cannot be recycled and do not break down in the environment. That means every single one ever made is still on this Earth. Now that'll put a sour taste in your mouth.

We cannot stop brushing our teeth, but surely there's a way to achieve good oral hygiene without generating obscene amounts of plastic waste? Thanks to some creative thinkers in Edmonton, Alberta, there is a new kind of toothpaste on the scene – dry tabs that you bite down on, then brush with a wet toothbrush. It foams up and turns into regular-tasting toothpaste, minus the annoying toothpaste blobs in the sink. Best of all, the tabs come in a compostable paper bag.

Change Toothpaste, as it's called, was established in January 2019 and has experimented with 119 recipes, to be precise, in order to establish the perfect one. The Edmonton Journal reports that they "consulted with a dentist to help figure out the perfect combination of texture, flavour and effectiveness, and perfected the recipe using their family as guinea pigs."

© Change Toothpaste (used with permission)

Founders Damien Vince and Mike Medicoff were inspired by Mike's 16-year-old daughter Sydney's quest to eliminate single-use plastics at home. "Our kids really inspire us. Everything we do, we know they’re watching us," Mike said.

What started as a small home-based business selling at farmers' markets and in online stores has grown, and now the men want to expand. They have launched a campaign that has already exceeded its $10K goal and will go toward outfitting their lab to handle fluoride; that way they can offer a fluoridated version of the toothpaste tabs.

Each bag contains 65 tablets and costs CDN$9.95. That's two per day for a month, plus some extras to allow for pre-date night brushings or breakage. Change also sells bamboo toothbrushes to complete your plastic-free brushing experience.