Colgate says it has finalized design for first-ever recyclable toothpaste tube

A new recyclable toothpaste tube is one step closer to heading for store shelves. 

Colgate announced Thursday it finalized a design of the recyclable tube — what they said is the first of its kind — and it was been approved by the Association of Plastic Recyclers last week, according to a release shared by the Business Wire. 

{mosads}The tube will debut in the U.S. in 2020 under the Tom’s of Maine Brand, and a global launch is expected to follow under the Colgate brand. 

The new design will replace the typically impossible to recycle tubes, CNN reports. 

Colgate said it expects to fully convert to the recyclable tubes by 2025. 

Justin Skala, executive vice president and chief growth and strategy officer for Colgate-Palmolive, said the company plans to offer the technology to other “makers of plastic tubes for all kinds of products.” 

“By encouraging others to use this technology, we can have an even bigger impact and increase the long-term market viability of this solution,” Skala said in the release. 

The design replaces the typically used nonrecyclable material with the widely recycled No. 2 plastic, high density polyethylene, used for making plastic bottles. 

The thick plastic is difficult to create squeezable tubes, but engineers discovered a combination of the recyclable plastics that worked for toothpaste tubes, according to the release.