I pondered for a long time if I should make this post about periods. But then I figured we need to get over ourselves. Half the population at some point will have periods for most of their lives. So forget the taboo and lets talk about something that really matters: Is there a way to have periods without detrimental effect to our health and that of our planet?
What Are Currently The Problems?
We have come a long way since the days of rags or no female hygienic products (for which I am grateful every month) but we are a long way from a perfect solution. So what are the current problems with using tampons and sanitary pads?.
A huge amount of non-recyclable waste
According to estimates we are talking about billions of tons of waste which are mostly plastic and will take 500-800 years to disintegrate. sourceThe current products are bad for our health as well. Being in touch with these non-sustainable material cause rashes, sensitive skin and even an increased chance of cancer. Many tampons contain bleached cotton and bleach is, well not great for your body. Source
It all ends up in landfills. The average woman uses between 5.000-15.000 sanitary products in her lifetime (yes, that much) and currently there is hardly any way to recycle them, meaning they end up in landfills. People who flush their tampons (I always wonder who the hell does this but ok) shoot their plastics straight into the oceans. Source
The Solutions
But before we get to depressing, there are solutions nowadays:
Using Reusable cups
I have been trying these out actually and so far so good. You get one reusable cup that lasts for 5-10 years. Meaning you only use one plastic product in all that time instead of tons.
I used OrganicCup, but there are many more others out there.
Using sustainable products. You could use organic tampons. They are made of organic cotton, without the usual chemicals and plastics, ensuring they are better for you and the planet. You still end up having to throw it away so it is not waste free but definitely better! Source
What are your thoughts? Have you tried anything other than the usual tampons and pads?
How do you use an organic cup that big during your period? You can't possibly move around comfortably with that. If you want something biodegradable, you may use those cloth pads.
Like this,