TerraCycle wants to get more oral care products out of waste stream. Spotlight Oral Care, a maker of oral care products founded by two dentist siblings, has partnered with TerraCycle to allow consumers to recycle any brand of dental aligners and associated packaging at participating dental offices nationwide.

Through the Spotlight Oral Care Aligners Recycling Program, consumers are invited to bring in all brands of used dental aligners and their associated packaging to participating Spotlight Oral Care dental offices to be recycled for free. The launch of the program marks the latest addition to Spotlight Oral Care’s existing sustainability efforts which include formulating toothpaste tubes from sugarcane and using recycled plastic in their brand name dental floss.

“As one of the top one percent providers of dental aligners in the industry, we have treated well over two-thousand patients over the last five years,” said Spotlight Oral Care Co-Founders Dr Lisa and Dr Vanessa Creaven. “For us, not having an answer when our patients asked us how to recycle their aligners wasn’t good enough. This new initiative with TerraCycle helps patients and dentists safely dispose of used aligners and keeps them out of landfill and our oceans. We’re proud to be part of the solution to one of the biggest waste challenges the dental industry faces today.”

After collection, the dental office mails the used dental aligners and packaging to TerraCycle for proper recycling. Once the materials are received by TerraCycle, they are recycled into post-consumer products.

“Dental aligners are a great option for those looking for an alternative to traditional braces, however their convenience also generates a significant amount of plastic waste given that they need to be swapped out periodically,” said TerraCycle Founder and CEO, Tom Szaky. “The Spotlight Oral Care Recycling Program is a unique opportunity for consumers to recycle this type of often-overlooked waste and can be done at their routine dental visits.”