Ladies! When we begin to reduce our plastic, sometimes we forget to consider how much plastic we go through roughly every 28 days! On average, women go through around 22 sanitary items (pads/tampons) per cycle, equaling about 1 wheelie bin per year (Cosmopolitan, 2018). That’s a lot of plastic going to landfill! Not to mention how much we paid for those products in that time too! (I did the math – for me it’s around $82+ per year.)
Update: These prices were calculated prior to the removal of the Australian “tampon tax” on January 1st, 2019. (Hooray for progress!)
So, in July (2018) I invested in some reusable pads from Hannahpad AU. Note the ‘investment’ – they might seem pricey, but given the money we spend on disposables, it seemed worth it as the once-off cost means I’d be saving so much in the long run. I have had conversations with many people about these so here I’d like to address some of the concerns raised.
No, they don’t feel bulky, in fact I find disposables to feel bulkier and more uncomfortable. Unlike their plastic counterparts, you hardly notice you’re wearing them. I find plastic pads uncomfortable as they irritate and chaff the skin. None of that with Hannahpad’s organic cotton.
Some people thought pads are simply just gross. Fair enough, we each feel differently about it. But at the end of the day, around half the population bleeds; it’s just blood – our own blood. It takes some time to overcome the idea that periods are gross, but if you can, you’ll feel so bloody liberated (yes, pun intended). I debated whether or not to write this post because so many people still feel like menstruation is taboo and not something to be discussed. But half the world does it. So why don’t we discuss it?
In some cultures, menstruating women can be considered ‘unclean’ and a ‘polluting’ presence when menstruating. During this time these women will not be permitted to enter places of worship or, in some cases, leave their house. We must not be too quick to judge these cultural differences, but we must always keep them in mind. Different things empower different people, and we must not be so ethnocentric as to expect other societies to adopt ‘our’ way of life because of how we perceive theirs. The normalization of menstruation across the world can be empowering (and it IS growing), but we must be mindful that context is key. You can’t push to change hundreds of years of culture, ritual, and taboo overnight – but you can make the world an inviting and understanding place and stand up when those people seek to change it. Recently women in India protested for their right to worship after reaching “menstruating age” (Withnall, 2019) and it is the biggest show of solidarity for these women yet. Times are changing, but we must still be mindful when making arguments based on culture and ‘Western’ concepts.
Okay, let’s get back on track.
Some people were grossed out in general. Some people were grossed out about cleaning. Never fear – cleaning is easy! I can be quite lazy when I get my period. Bloating and lethargy take hold of me and I usually curl up with a hot water bottle on the couch or bed due to the inevitable monthly pain of ‘cramps’ (cramps kind of belittles the pain doesn’t it? Is there a better description? Let me know). So, when I realized how easy they were to clean I was simply over the moon! I just soak them in a bucket of cold water with some Hannahpad laundry powder (sodium sesquicarbonate) and off I go with my day. We’ve all had to soak our underwear at some point ladies, so this is nothing new. Later, I change the water and give them a scrub with Tuff Stuff stain remover soap and soak again. I try to wash them all together, so I drip dry them till my cycle is over and throw them all in the washing machine, then line dry in the sun (important: DO NOT put them in the dryer. Ever).
Okay, so they’re easy to use, they’re comfortable, but why should we care? There’s plenty of info floating around on the amount of chemicals disposables are treated with. There are varying opinions on the use of chemicals and synthetic fibers in feminine hygiene products. When researching for this article, I could not find any current, academic, peer reviewed science that I could verify, and it stalled me from publishing this for months. I really wanted to be able to provide this information and analyse it, but I couldn’t let that deter me from finishing what I set out to do. So, as not to lead anyone astray, I must urge you to do your own research here and speak with your gynecologist. They will have more useful information than your regular GP, and they will be able to help you find the best reusable menstrual products for your body. For example, menstrual cups don’t work with everyone’s internal make up, but your gynecologist will be able to give you great advice on this.
At the end of the day, for me, the cost to my pocket (and the environment) was what won out. All of that plastic sitting in landfill contributes to greenhouse gases via a build up of methane (hopefully we all know this by now and I don’t have to cite it, right?). Home compost systems need access to oxygen which is why we turn them – traditional landfills can’t provide this. All that plastic leeches into our water table and some of it still finds its way to the sea. Using Hannahpad’s gives me a relatively clear conscience and helps me reduce my impact on the environment.
Products mentioned:
You can find the products in this article on Hannahpad’s website, or alternatively, you can also find them at Flora and Fauna and Biome.
References:
Cosmopolitan 2018, ‘This is How Many Tampons we Chuck out Every Single Year’, Cosmopolitan Australia, 12 March, retrieved 5 November 2018, <https://www.cosmopolitan.com.au/health-fitness/tampon-pad-period-waste-26166>.
Withnall, A, 2019. ‘Protesters form 620km ‘women’s wall’ in India as female devotees pray at Hindu temple for first time’, Independent, 3 January, retrieved 4 January 2019, <https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/womens-wall-protest-india-kerala-temple-hindu-pray-supreme-court-sexism-a8708381.html>.
THE WILD ALCHEMIST 