DT News - UK - Brighton builds waste house with 20,000 toothbrushes

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 27 August 2014

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BRIGHTON, UK: Students, apprentices and volunteers from Brighton in South England have built a house completely made of waste. Among DVDs, jeans and many other items, they used almost 20,000 toothbrushes. The brushes, mainly donated by a company that cleans aeroplane cabins, were used as wall insulation.

The Brighton Waste House is a live research project and permanent new design workshop focused on sustainable development. The house was designed by architect and senior lecturer at the University of Brighton Duncan Baker-Brown together with undergraduate students, and set up by apprentices from the Mears Group, students from City College Brighton and Hove, and the university’s College of Arts and Humanities, as well as volunteers. In all, over 250 students helped on-site.

After three months in production, 12 months on site, and the installation of 20,000 toothbrushes, 2 tonnes of denim jeans, 4,000 DVD cases, 2,000 floppy discs, 2,000 used carpet tiles, and the hard work of 253 students and apprentices, the Brighton Waste House was recently completed at the university’s campus.

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“We had 20,000 toothbrushes diverted from the waste stream and delivered to us from Gatwick International Airport via a sustainable cabin services company,” Cat Fletcher of Freegle UK, which promotes the keeping of usable items out of landfill, told Dental Tribune ONLINE. “Local residents, schoolchildren and students also donated their used toothbrushes—some visiting in person on foot or by cycle. Other toothbrushes arrived anonymously via post and just poked through the building site fence randomly and also in wheelie bin collection points we set up on all the University campus sites.” All toothbrushes were sorted through and dried before being integrated into the house’s walls.

Toothbrushes are a typical throw-away item. As they should be replaced at least every three months, each person uses about 320 in his or her lifetime—presupposing a life expectancy of 80 years.

Attempts to reduce this rising amount of plastic waste have been made. Recycled toothbrushes and brushes with replaceable brush heads and reusable handles have been introduced to the market.

One of the main aims of the Waste House project was to prove “that there is no such thing as waste; just stuff in the wrong place,” the project group stated. The house is now an open design research studio and will be available to schools, colleges and community groups for green-themed events.

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