The Problem with Plastic
- By Catriona Dickie
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- 25 Jan, 2018
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Why we need to stop using disposable sanitary products
Women and people who menstruate risk seriously polluting the ocean if we don't change the way we use sanitary products.
Every year, 1.3 billion plastic tampon applicators go in the bin, making them one of the biggest contributors to landfill in the UK. When over-engineered sanitary products are becoming washed up everywhere from Scottish coastlines to the banks of the Thames, it's time to change the way we think about about our periods.
For generations, people have been creating novel ways to stem the monthly flow. We've come a long way from the girdles of the 19th century, and there is now more choice than ever when it comes to sanitary items. Enter any supermarket and you'll find almost an entire aisle dedicated to tampons and pads of all shapes and sizes. Brands such as Always and Lil-Lets have even refined their ranges to encompass specific pads to wear at night and mini tampons in cute boxes for teenagers. Last year, Tesco and Waitrose were trailblazers in covering VAT on their disposable sanitary products so that consumers didn't have to, signalling a victory for women of the UK.
It's not hard to see why so many people who menstruate are attracted to disposable sanitary products: tampons and pads are easy to use, relatively cheap, and readily available. However, it's an increasingly unavoidable fact that in this case, convenience comes at a cost. Every time we unwrap an applicator tampon, the plastic shell goes straight in the bin and heads for landfill, where it will spend approximately 500 years – or perhaps less, if it then makes its way into the ocean and ends up washed up on a beach or entangled in a fishing net, becoming a burden on the environment in an entirely different way. With this in mind its not surprising that by 2050 its estimated that there will be more plastic in the sea than fish.
So what's the answer? The environmentally conscious among us are already using bags for life, shunning plastic straws and sporting refillable water bottles. These ethical everyday items are cemented in the public consciousness following the introduction of the 5p charge for plastic bags, the rise of stylish sustainable flasks and that heartbreaking episode of Blue Planet. But it's now becoming increasingly important that this attitude is extended to the way we approach our periods.
The good news is, reusables are on the rise: the eco-conscious are gradually cottoning on to menstrual cups, washable sanitary towels and leak-proof period panties. Brands such as Thikx, Mooncup, and Honour Your Flow are now leading the way in offering ethical alternatives to disposables. And at around £20 for a menstrual cup made to last up to 10 years, these items are not only ethical, but accessible as well.
We can all have an impact on the future of the planet by making informed choices when it comes to choosing sanitary products. If 2017 was the year the UK woke up to the ethics of consuming animal products, lets make 2018 the year we begin to reduce our plastic use.
Menstrual cups and reusable sanitary towels can be purchased on the no more taboo store here.
WOW Women of the World festivals have been popping up across the world, if you get the chance to go along to one we would strongly recommend it.
WOW – Women of the World festival celebrates women and girls, and looks at the obstacles that stop them from achieving their potential.
Around the world, individuals and communities are insisting on the simple proposition that women and girls must have equal rights and asking the question: why is gender equality taking so long?
Southbank Centre's WOW – Women of the World festival is a global network of festivals which provides a platform for celebrating what has been achieved, and exploring all the ways we can change the world for the better.
What’s not to love?
Our Founder, Chloe, and her Mum Angela went along to represent No More Taboo with a stall across the two days. Here’s her highlights:
“Although we didn’t get much time to take in all the discussions as we were kept busy wo-manning the stall (thanks Mum for helping out)! We had some great discussions around gender, equality, inclusivity and of course periods with new customers, supporters, other panellists and some old friends who came to see us.
In fact, we were really pleased to catch up with Plan International UK who were opening the festival with a discussion about Period Activism exactly one year on since the launch of our #BreaktheBarriers research and Period Poverty Conference that we ran in collaboration with Plan.
On the first weekend of September, No More Taboo set up shop at Lush Cribbs Causeway for their Charity Pot weekend.
The Lush Charity Pot is a wonderfully creamy shea-butter hand lotion where all the sales money (excluding VAT) goes towards a chosen charity or non-for-profit. This scheme is designed to help boost grass-roots, small and local organisations, like ourselves, financially so that we can continue to do the work we do such as our Tackling Period Poverty programme.
As we were Lush’s chosen organisation for the weekend of the 1-2 September, one of our volunteers, Iloni, and one of our advisors, Carolyn, went along to wo-man the (suitably Lush-styled aesthetic) stall that Lush had kindly provided for us. We took along a range of our products, stacks of leaflets and information as well as our enthusiasm for talking about all things to do with periods.
Over the weekend, we sold over £200’s worth of stock with Ruby Cups and Honour Your Flow re-usable pads proving most popular with Lush customers. On top of this, Lush sold so many of their Charity Pots that £340.60 was raised for No More Taboo – which was amazing!
However exciting the money side of things were with this event, what I personally took away as being the real highlight of the weekend was the number and nature of conversations we shared with customers.
Mothers and daughters came and chatted to us about how they agreed it was so important to use re-usable products for personal and financial reasons as well as for the planet’s sake. Boyfriends accompanied their other halves as they prodded and probed the range of menstrual cups on display. Older women commented on how it’s such a relief to be able to talk about menstruation in public and with people you’ve only just met. They regaled of a time when periods were even more hush-hush and celebrated with us out mission of there being No More Taboo.
We would like to thank Lush Cribbs Causeway for being such wonderful hosts, encouraging every customer that came through their doors to consider buying the Charity Pot or simply to chat with us. Each member of their staff team was incredibly warm and so keen to find out more about what we do. On behalf of all of us at No More Taboo, thank you.
For more information, take a look at their website: https://www1.uwe.ac.uk/whatson/biggreenweek.aspx
Read more here: https://www.wen.org.uk/environmenstrual-week-of-action/
