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Sustainable menstruation: four methods that take care of the environment and save money when you have your period
Sustainability
The menstrual cup, cloth pads, menstrual underwear or sea sponges are alternatives to banish the use of pads and tampons
The notion that menstruation it continues to be a taboo, but for that reason it is still true. From hiding a tampon in class, or in the office, as if it were something forbidden to go to the bathroom, to pretending that one is well on a terrible day of rule in which all you want is to lie in bed and rest Everything that surrounds the period is treated with modesty and even secrecy. Within this lack of conversation about menstruation there is a very important factor that is not taken into account: we are talking about a circumstance that regularly affects more than half of the population once a month and that generates millions of waste that is difficult to recycle .
Menstruation is, then, one week of each month in which more individual waste is generated than normal. The single-use feminine hygiene products, such as pads, tampons or panty liners, represent a large addition to the rest of waste that is difficult to recycle. “A woman menstruates approximately forty years of her life, which means that she can use between 6.000 and 9.000 (even more) disposable pads and tampons during her childbearing years,” says María Negro, activist, sustainability promoter and author. from ‘Change the world: 10 steps towards a sustainable life’ (Zenith). Therefore, more and more work is being done to find reusable alternatives to achieve what is called ‘sustainable menstruation’.
To achieve this, explains Janire Mañes, a disseminator of menstrual education, sexuality and ‘sustainable menstruation’, that menstruation must not only be sustainable with the environment, but also with the body itself. Since the menstrual cycle affects all spheres of a life, the disseminator explains that, to achieve this inner sustainability, a self-knowledge work in which to attend to what happens in the body in each phase, to be able to respect the moments of activity and rest and thus learn to keep one’s own rhythm.
In order to reduce the impact on the planet during the days of menstruation, there are more and more alternatives that reduce the use of single-use products. “From practicing free bleeding to the menstrual cup, passing through reusable organic cotton cloth pads, menstrual panties or menstrual sponges”, explains Janire Mañes.
La menstrual cup it is becoming more and more widespread. It is already in all pharmacies, and even in large supermarkets. We are talking about a 100% hypoallergenic medical silicone container that respects the vaginal pH. This happens, explains the informant, because the bleeding is collected instead of absorbed, so there are no problems of irritation, fungi and allergies. “This option is ecological and cheap: you save a lot of money and waste to the planet since it can last up to 10 years”, he points out.
Companies that cloth pads and menstrual panties They are options that many people see from a distance at first, but they are not only useful but also comfortable. Although initially these alternatives were promoted by small companies, the offer is increasing. Janire Mañes herself speaks from the experience of selling cloth pads in her store, ILen. Explain that there are all sizes, for each moment of the cycle, and can last up to 4 years, as well as once their useful life is over they can be composted. The same goes for menstrual underwear. Marta Higuera, from the underwear brand DIM Intimates, comments that these options have systems that prevent dampness, have maximum absorbency and a fabric that prevents odors.
“The mentrual sponges they are the least known option. They grow on the seabed of the Mediterranean coast. They are highly absorbent and antibacterial and their shelf life is one year ”, says Janire Mañes.
How to wash menstrual cloth products?
Janire Mañes gives tips for washing cloth pads and menstrual underwear:
— Soak in cold water for two to three hours and then hand or machine wash with the rest of the laundry.
– Maximum at 30 degrees and avoid using strong detergents, bleaches or softeners, which in addition to affecting technical fabrics can cause irritation if they are not rinsed well.
— Air dry Whenever possible, the sun is the best natural disinfectant and bleach.
-To help remove stains is use a little hydrogen peroxide or sodium perborate, without abuse.
Beyond reducing the impact on the environment, these alternative options have several advantages. Janire Mañes comments that traditional hygiene products are composed mostly of materials such as viscose, rayon or dioxins. Many of these materials, he says, are derived from plastics that in contact with the mucosa generate short-term problems, such as itching, irritation, vaginal dryness, allergies or fungal or bacterial infections. “There are other risks associated with the continued use of them, for example the case of tampons with toxic shock syndrome,” he adds. In addition, the use of these products represents a saving money. “Although a priori they involve a greater outlay, they are products that we will buy once and reuse for several years,” says the promoter.
One of the biggest disadvantages of single-use products is that they cannot be recycled, says María Negro, because they are very small objects that have various materials. «If disposable pads or tampons are used we should never flush them down the toilet, but to the cube of remains, that is, the orange. “In the blog ‘Living without plastic’ they explain that even if they are disposed of correctly, these products end up in landfills where the lack of oxygen means that they can take centuries to degrade because they are made of very dense fibers”, comments the activist and promoter. That is why not only landfills, but natural spaces such as beaches, are full of plastic applicators and disposable tampons. “It is in our power to change this reality and live a more sustainable and respectful menstruation with our body and the planet,” he sums up.
In addition to caring for the environment, practicing this ‘sustainable rule’, that is, following the cycle more closely, or worrying about having the products ready by the time the period arrives, puts the focus on the attention to the body, its sensations and, in general, personal well-being. «Our menstrual cycle is our thermometer. It gives us a lot of information if we observe the changes we experience on a physical, mental and emotional level, ”says Janire Mañes. Thus, paying more attention to our body, through which products we use, and analyzing the physical and emotional sensations we have, helps, if changes or discomforts occur, to recognize them quickly to find solutions.