Tampons without plastic applicators. Menstrual cups. Products free from dioxins. Special absorbent underwear like Thinx. There are alternative options for monthly period care that can relieve the acres/hectares of waste that result from using disposable products. Disposable products that are made from oil and other non-renewable sources.
The plastic parts of tampon applicators and packaging and the polymers in sanitary pads are toxins that don’t readily decompose. In the United States, 5 billion tampons alone were sold in 2018, one-third of global usage.
We need to talk more about issues that affect women, and talking about menstruation is a great place to start.
Whether you’re a woman or not, check out this powerful 10-minute video by the campaign Green the Red. It highlights the ecological and health dangers of the flow of single-use period products into the Indian marketplace and illuminates the benefits to women’s health and their household budgets of reusable products such as menstrual cups, dioxin-free cloth napkins, and tampons without plastic applicators.
Women around the world can make healthier period choices for their bodies and for our planet. Spread the word.
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