Every year, 300 million toothpaste tubes end up in the UK’s landfills.
A new report by the waste management firm BusinessWaste estimates if these tubes were laid out end-to-end, the plastic line would stretch 75,000 kilometres, the equivalent of almost twice around the world.
The analysis suggests a toothpaste tube needs almost 500 years to fully biodegrade in a landfill.
It notes some of the best plastic-free tube alternatives are refillable glass jars, toothpaste tablets or homemade toothpaste.
BusinessWaste spokesman Mark Hall said: “A lot of toothpaste tubes have that layer of aluminium in to keep them fresh, but this makes it a recycling nightmare.
“Toothpaste is an essential hygiene item that people will always buy. However, the problem is the packaging; does it really need to come in a plastic tube?”