Reusable period solutions- Why make the Switch?

Period undies, menstrual cups and reusable pads are so popular and sales have taken off.

Are you thinking about making the switch?

I was set the task of writing this blog and I was wondering what exactly I would write about. After reading some articles, I was left with a bunch of unanswered questions.

How many women have their period? How much money do women spend on sanitary products? How much sanitary product waste goes to landfill?

How are these products actually made? What if you can’t afford to buy sanitary products?

For one woman who only uses disposable pads throughout the years of her menstruation, it will cost approximately $5000. It may not sound like that much when you’re only considering yourself but what if you think about how many other women are spending the same amount of money or more on sanitary products?

That’s a lot of money and a lot of waste that can take hundreds of years to fully break down.

It is estimated that a single woman will use between 5 and 15 thousand sanitary products over their life time, which nearly all of these products end up in landfill.

Approximately 6 million women in Australia are of menstruating age. If you do the maths, the amount of waste is up in the billions.

Did you know that in Australia, ingredients are not required to be listed on feminine hygiene products? In a world where information is pretty easy access, how are we not allowed this information?

What are tampons and pads made from? Could those ingredients be upsetting your cycle? Could they doing more harm to your health than they do good?

What are the alternate options?

Period undies, reusable pads and menstrual cups.

They are washable and reusable, which saves you money in the long run and also reduces the amount of waste going to landfill.

When your looking for a menstrual cup, always look for 100% medical-grade silicone and not dyed. One menstrual cup can last up to 10 years. Depending on the brand, they are roughly between $30 and $70.

Imagine only buying 3 or 4 cups that will serve you for your menstruating years!

There are plenty of brands of period undies and reusable pads, so it is a matter of what brand works for you.

When you’re looking, try to find a company that has tried and tested their products and are willing to disclose the materials they use.

Period poverty exists, research done by Share the Dignity found that more than one in five people who menstruate were improvising by using toilet paper and socks due to the cost of pads or tampons.

Share the dignity collect donations each year and distribute to accordingly to charities.

Imagine if we could donate more reusable items!

Written By Katie