Back in the 1990s women cringed at the mere thought of using a menstrual cup (a contraption worn internally to catch the blood and muck worn internally). Toxic Shock Syndrome was the big tampon-related anxiety of the day and environmental concerns didn’t rank high on the minds of most women.
Today, the much derided muck-catcher’s modern equivalent is a different story. The most well-known is the Diva Cup and it can be found in popular drug stores everywhere – not just obscure specialist shops. You can also find many manufacturers in the re-usable sanitary towels niche.
Women didn’t want to be blamed for sanitary waste filling up landfills or being washed out into sea. Why should we be guilt-ridden and put on the spot? Don’t men go through huge amounts of disposable razors with their non-biodegradable plastic creating havoc?
Male or female, the throwaway lifestyle is not sustainable and that is a fact. More than $2.5 billion are spent on non-reusable sanitary products each year in the US alone. Consider the average woman’s menstruating life span at 40 years and that’s a lot of money and a hell of a lot of sanitary waste.
When you consider it’s not all that unpleasant to switch to reusable sanitary protection, why not be proactive? Talk about it, tell your friends and family and get them to try. Not only are we helping out the good ole environment, we could be saving ourselves money! My Diva cup cost me $40 and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that I may be quids in after several months.
It’s time to get off the “I’m entitled to my female share of the landfill” mindset and move onto the “I will do my bit to lessen my share of that landfill”. We’re all in this world and have to do more (or a bit less in this case).
Women’s Environmental Network (UK)
Lunapads – Reusable sanitary towels/pads
Diva Cup
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