Why does Tom’s of Maine use aluminum toothpaste tubes?

We get this question a lot. Here’s what it says on Tom’s of Maine Web site:

We use 100% aluminum tubes because they are environmentally sensitive. They are recyclable in most communities. They also help maintain our natural flavors. The tubes that we use are lined with a thin layer of food-grade plastic (meaning a pharmaceutical grade inert epoxy which is approved safe for use with food ingestibles) that prevents the toothpaste from coming into contact with the aluminum.

How to recycle Tom’s of Maine tubes:

In order to recycle our toothpaste tubes, you must first remove the plastic cap and the plastic threaded covering on the neck of the tube. The tubes can then be tossed in with your aluminum cans for recycling. In case you’re wondering, any toothpaste left in the tube and the food-grade plastic liner does not affect the tube’s recyclability. When the aluminum is processed, any residual toothpaste as well as the food-grade liner melts away without contaminating the recycled product.

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