Let’s face it: periods are the worst. For many people, “that time of the month” brings painful cramps, hard-to-clean messes, and causes our hormones to go haywire. Even worse, our periods wreak havoc on the environment, too.
Though there are many pad and tampon alternatives on the market, a large portion of the community still uses these wasteful, out-of-date period products. Here’s why we think you should make the switch to an eco-friendly alternative solution to tampons and pads:
More than 45 billion period products are used every year, and most of them end up in landfills.
Single-use period products are convenient, but the end does not justify the means. Used tampons and pads pile up in our landfills, end up in the ocean, and destroy our environment.
Most pads and tampons contain non-biodegradable plastic.
Though the pad or tampon itself may be cotton, the applicators and packaging are largely made up of plastic. Since plastic is not biodegradable, it will take centuries for them to break down, polluting Earth in the meantime.
Tampons are horrible for plumbing and sewage systems.
Tampons are extremely absorbent, making them prime suspects for blockages and buildup in plumbing lines and sewage systems. Not only can tampons destroy the plumbing in your own home, they can lead to buildup in municipal sewage and waste plants, which are not built to handle tampon waste.
In the United Kingdom alone, more than 2.5 billion tampons are flushed down toilets every day.
Tampons make up large portions of “fatberg” blockages in sewage systems, so if you flush your tampons, STOP! If you don’t like dealing with tampons in your trash bin, look into tampon alternatives, like the Leia menstrual cup.
Single-use tampons and pads contain dangerous chemicals, like dioxin chlorine, and rayon.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, most single-use tampons and pads contain chemicals that are used for fragrance or freshness that are dangerous to our environment. They leach into the ground, polluting the earth, air, and water supplies.
Alternative solutions to tampons are better for the environment in the long run.
Period panties, reusable pads, or our personal favorite, the menstrual cup (like the Leia menstrual cup!) are all fantastic traditional pad and tampon alternatives for one simple reason: they are reusable.
These alternative solutions to tampons can be washed and reused many times and remain completely sanitary, completely negating the excess waste that comes with single-use pads and tampons.
Better yet, one of the biggest menstrual cup benefits is that they don’t feature harmful chemicals, so you can rest easily knowing that you aren’t putting any dangerous fragrances in your body.
If you’re anything like us, you care just as much about what goes in your body as you do what goes in the Earth—do yourself and our planet a favor and make the switch to eco-friendly period products.
