One of the UK’s most “wish-cycled” items, many brands have switched over so that they are now made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). These brands include Colgate, Sensodyne, Aquafresh and Corsodyl.
The tubes have traditionally been made of a thin layer of aluminium sandwiched between plastic, making them difficult to process.
The new packaging is technically 100% recyclable, according to WRAP, and can be reprocessed into items ranging from plastic piping and bleach bottles to garden furniture.
The environmental NGO stated that more than 252 million tubes of toothpaste are sold in the UK each year.
Catherine David, CEO at WRAP, said: “This is another game-changing moment for recycling. In partnership with Colgate and Haleon, we’ve taken one of the most infuriating packaging formats and given it a sustainable makeover.
“We’re on a mission to ensure all items that can be recycled are recycled, and I’m delighted that now no toothpaste tube need become a landfilling!”
Toothpaste tube collection
Toothpaste tubes are now being picked up by a growing number of local authorities at kerbside, with three million households currently covered.
Boots continues to provide a national take-back route, with all UK stores accepting tubes alongside other “hard-to-recycle” bathroom and beauty products through its Recycle at Boots scheme.
Candice Smith, Head of ESG at Boots, commented: “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.”
However, while the new HDPE tubes are technically recyclable, some recycling sites have reported early challenges with sortation and handling.
Recycle Week 2025
To help highlight the shift, WRAP has introduced three new “Rescue Me!” characters for Recycle Week, shining a light on items often binned instead of recycled.
Alongside toothpaste tubes, the campaign now include aluminium foil and shampoo bottles.
They join WRAP’s lineup of characters that showcase the recyclability of trigger sprays, aerosols, yoghurt pots, toilet roll tubes, and aftershave and perfume bottles.
WRAP estimated that UK households miss at least two recyclable items a week, amounting to 2.3 billion items a year heading for disposal.
Subscribe for free