A more sustainable 'time of the month'
Reducing our use of single-use plastic menstrual products.
Ok, ladies, this one’s for you.
It’s no surprise that single-use plastic is in almost every menstrual product we commonly find at the store–tampons, pads, panty liners, and cleaning wipes are made with it and packaged with it. (Most disposable pads often contain the same amount of plastic as 4 supermarket bags.)
What we didn’t realize, was the amount that filled our trashcan every month AND that there’s a more sustainable alternative that saves money and garbage. Whoo hoo!
Did you know…
In 2018, 5.8 billion tampons were bought in the U.S.
AND
A woman will use and throw away between 5,000-15,000 pads and tampons in her lifetime.
What is your impact on the environment?
Check out your own period impact with this period calculator. Very eye-opening!
Photo credit: plastic pollution coalition
So, what are your options if you want to reduce period waste?
A more sustainable period doesn’t mean you have to go back to the old days by making your own cloth pads–ain’t nobody got time for that.
There’s a spectrum of options that are better than the ‘typical’ for Mama Earth:
Choose tampons without applicators and made from natural fibers. Here’s an example.
Menstrual underwear, like Thinx.
Reusable tampon applicators, like DAME.
Switch to a menstrual cup. Our favorite is by Lunette. (They may sound a bit scary at first–I thought so too–but after the first month, I swore I would never go back to regular tampons again.)
Ok, here’s the scoop on the cup.
You invest in a cup once for ~$40 and you’re set to go–saving you money and waste on single-use tampons.
You can safely wear the Lunette cup for up to 12 hours and overnight.
Working out isn’t a problem with the cup. If you have the right size, it’ll stay put even during your most intense workouts.
The Lunette cup is made from medical grade silicone and is BPA free. (Did you know, many tampons have plastic in the actual tampon? Huh?)
They even have a how to video to get you started.
Cheers to a more sustainable period!
