Calling all menstruators and climate carers alike – we seriously need to talk about how period products harm our planet.
As it turns out, the average tampon and pad in the drugstore aisle is a large contributor to environmental consumer consequences. It takes 500 YEARS (yes, like five entire centuries) for a tampon to decompose. An average of forty-five billion tampons or sanitary pads are used every year, resulting in 3.2 million kgs of waste.
In your lifetime, you will use about 16,800 tampons or sanitary napkins… that’s a lot of products piling up in our overfilled landfills.
Shocked?? I was too, but it turns out there are some alternatives to make your period more sustainable – and in such a vulnerable time for our planet, each action is a step in the right direction. Let’s take a look:
Menstrual Cup
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The menstrual cup is inserted similarly to the tampon. However, instead of absorbing your period, it catches it. Menstrual cups often last longer than even the heaviest of tampons and can stay in much longer too!
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Brand to try: Saalt
Reusable Menstrual Discs
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Similar to the menstrual cup, menstrual discs are a great alternative to the average tampon. They too can last up to twelve hours, so there is much less changing. Just make sure the menstrual disc you are purchasing is reusable – many sold require disposal.
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Brand to try: Nixit
Reusable Organic Cotton Pads
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All the same benefits as a regular pad except instead of disposing of, you throw your pad in the wash and use it again.
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Brand to try: Aisle
Biodegradable Pads
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Same as your standard period pad, except it is biodegradable, which means less than five centuries for it to go back into the ground.
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Brand to try: Rael
Period Underwear
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Skip the period products in total and invest in a pair of period panties – no mess, leakproof and better for the environment.
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Brand to try: Knix
We all have actions we can take to reduce our negative impact on the planet. Making our monthly menses more sustainable is an excellent place to start. Also composting… composting is fun too :)
(Statistics provided by Change to Green)