Cups and Rags: The New Wave in Feminine Care?

I’m all up for going Green, switching to all biodegradable soaps and trash bags, composting kitchen scraps and switching out all of my household lightbulbs with new energy efficient ones but, the thought of giving up my feminine menstrual products is terrifying. According to an article recently published by OrganicAuthority.com, “Half of the American population—some 150 million women—will menstruate over the course of approximately forty years of their life. You can do the math (but here's some help: that's roughly 17,000 pads or tampons per woman per lifetime” that will either be flushed or thrown into a landfill. Also, the cotton that makes up these products are most likely sourced from crops that use large amounts of pesticides and chemicals during their cultivation. Despite being aware of these facts and statistics, when I am on my period how my used tampons will affect the environment is the last thing on my mind. I know this has to change.

Although Green companies like Natracare and Seventh Generation offer lines of Organic feminine hygiene products, some environmentalist members say that this isn’t enough. Landfills are being flooded with used feminine products and more women should take different steps in order to decrease the numbers of feminine products used during menstruation. But, what are these so called steps? One might be the implementation of a new product called the “Diva Cup,” a “BPA-free silicone capture device that fits somewhat like a tampon, except you just empty it out once it's full and reuse."Organic Authority.com. Another step would be to go back to using what our grandmothers and great grandmothers before us used, washable period rags.

Despite claims to the contrary, the more practical and sustainable method would be to create a more biodegradable product that can be bought over the counter and then thrown away after use. Although this seems to be fostering the same type of negative impact on the environment, the likelihood of the average American woman opting for a rag between her legs that she has to wash at the end of the day is somewhat unlikely but, not impossible. The only solution to this issue is to get the message out there. A number of women may choose to use more eco-friendly options like the Diva Cup during their menstruation cycles while other women may choose a more biodegradable option, if one were introduced to the mainstream market. Give women choices and you will be surprised at what could happen.