by Amy Gan | Lifestyle
There’s a surprising thing that may
be a better or an easier eco-friendly action than planting trees or drinking
tap water: using a menstrual cup.
Statistics show that the average
woman uses 250 to 300 pounds of products, applicators, and wrappers in a
lifetime. Using your imagination, you could see a mountain of plastics piling
up for each individual using feminine hygiene products; how many people do you
know who do?
A few years ago, I had heard of menstrual
cups, but never thought about getting one; it was way too “adult” for me.
Fast-forward to last year, a friend rinses her Diva Cup in the school bathroom
while I’m washing my hands, and I’m shocked that she uses one. We talk about
it, and I realize it isn’t as inaccessible and difficult as I thought. She gave
me the basics: wash it with water and soap every 10 hours or so, boil it once a
month, and that’s all there really is to it! So I thought, wow, if I can be just a bit closer to saving the planet, why not?
The first few times of trying it on
may be an uphill struggle, but perseverance will crown you a pro. On top of no
longer being part of those unfortunate statistics, there’s no more of the
“rug-burn” from light-flow with tampons.
The Diva Cup is one of the most
popular and more accessible brand; you can find it in many pharmacies and supermarkets
for around $40, and they last around 5 years. It’s a small investment to make;
quickly, this becomes a better deal than the 11 to 30 tampons used per cycle,
averaging to 5,000 and 14,000 tampons per woman in her lifetime.
For those who are pad fans, no
worries! There are also ways to put forward a positive footprint: buying sustainable
pads. This may be more costly, however. But your personal mountain of used
feminine hygiene products will be smaller! Natracare,
sold in natural products store such as Tau,
is biodegradable and made with organic cotton. With a high rating from users,
this sustainable choice seems one to seriously consider. Otherwise, there are
also classic reusable pads (otherwise known as blood rags—fun!).
Overall, the menstrual cup may be
one of the most user-friendly feminine hygiene products there are. The period being
light or heavy, there’s not a reason to worry. And with one every five years,
the soft silicon wins over the tons of plastic.
And what about after 5 years? A
great way to recycle it could be to send it to Come As You Are Co-operative, a Canadian sex shop company that
recycles medical grade material sex toys.
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment