of these things helps, you may have a cup that will work (catch your flow) but isnt Prolonged use of plastic-based DSNs has resulted in rashes, itching, skin sensitivity, and burning for many, leading to an uncomfortable experience. it should be entirely undetectable (or at least very close!) Sanitary pads, tampons, and other menstrual hygiene products are categorised as dry municipal waste under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. Reusable cloth pads and menstrual underwear can be reused for a year or two. with an average menstrual cycle (30-60ml total per cycle). This project developed a workshop that focused on destigmatizing sustainable menstruation Also be sure to sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Instagram. Plastic-Free Applicators If you want to start by cutting out plastic applicators, In her sessions with young menstruators in government schools, Tiwari and her team educate them and make them aware of their bodies. According to the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, if one were to estimate 36 percent women in the reproductive age group in India to be using disposable sanitary napkins with an average eight napkins per cycle then the total menstrual waste load generated is 1 billion pads per months, or 12 billion per year. Like disposable products, reusable and recyclable products are also subject to a tampon tax a tax that is levied on products that are deemed nonessential in many states. Period Underwear: Many affordable period underwear brands out there can hold three Menstrual hygiene products such as pads and tampons usually contain dangerous chemicals, But this also added to the growing problem of managing menstrual waste arising from DSNs. Most reusable, cloth pads seem expensive, costing about Rs. The awareness has increased in society although menstruators are hesitant on making a switch. and water in-between wears. Then, in 2016, Abramson got turned onto reusable menstrual products when a childhood acquaintance became a sustainability influencer. When you first get your period, pads are the easiest thing to find and buy, said Anaya Balaji, who is 13. wont allow anything past it except sperm. However, since the former is reusable, they can be used over several weeks and turn out to be more affordable. Chandramani, who started making these pads after such a training, said that she stitches together nine layers of cotton cloth, shaped in the form of a sanitary pad, and puts a Velcro (hook and loop fastner) strip behind so that it can be stuck to the underwear. Modernity equaled disposability, and the brand was aspirational, she said. Reusable products represent only a fraction of menstruation supplies purchased in the United States Americans spend $1.8 billion on pads and $1 billion on tampons yearly, which dwarfs sales of all other products combined. The time at home allowed Abramson to monitor her flow and when she would need to change her period underwear, she said.

Her neighbour, Anju, similarly said that she makes these pads at home for herself as well as for her daughter, married and settled in another village.

One year of Similipal forest fire: The hits and misses, Human-animal conflict in Kashmir leaves a trail of deaths and psychological impacts, Explosives smuggled from India used in blast fishing in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Sundarbans communities face hardships following a resource hunting ban, Farmers fear low fruit production as Kashmir records decline in precipitation, Scientists sequence chickpea genome which could inform crop improvement efforts. The Campello-Palep girls are representative of two emerging trends that have become clear to period advocates, and anyone who casually follows #PeriodTok: Members of Gen Z and beyond are more forthcoming about their periods than generations past, and they are more likely to care whether the products they use are environmentally sustainable. She posits that the newness of reusable menstrual products is a big barrier to being more mainstream. A lot of young girls in my community were not aware of sanitary napkins in the market and those who did, could not afford them. This takes approximately 500-800 years to fully disintegrate after disposal. These people were, too. We recommend sanitizing your cup inbetween cycles. We educate menstruators on how this is nothing to be shameful of. According to the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 data, in the period 2019-21, the percentage of women aged 15-24 years who use hygienic methods of protection during their menstrual cycle is 89.4 percent in urban areas and 72.3 percent in rural areas a rise from 77.3 percent and 57.6 percent respectively and as recorded in NFHS-4 (2015-16). The friend posted quizzes about which period cups work best for different lifestyles, and that is how Abramson started using the reusable Dot Cup, which collects rather than absorbs fluid. higher, or is too long for you. If the stem protrudes, Most brands include a small cotton pouch to store the cup in. Today, parents of Gen Zers benefit from improvements in menstrual technology: The cloth pads of yore are not the cloth pads of today; and period underwear, for example, is made of highly absorbent fabric without being bulky. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/well/sustainable-period-products.html. Theres a market barrier as well, said Nicole Darnall, foundation professor of management and public policy and director and co-founder of Arizona State Universitys Sustainable Purchasing Research Initiative. Its just normal in a girls life.. They didnt work super well when they were first being invented and iterated, she said. If your cup is lost and you cant reach it, again, remember its not going anywhere. 4-6x more than a single tampon or pad so you will still get to wear it for longer But eventually, she said, her conservationist conscience won out. to distribute. The Campello-Paleps hope their line of products will help young people handle their monthly cycle with less shame. But for Taylor Abramson, a 25-year-old library science graduate student at the University of North Texas, it has become an integral part of how she thinks about the environmental impact of menstrual products. Wash as And I hadnt even really thought about it in terms of how many menstruating humans there are on the planet at any given time and how many products collectively were throwing away.. We teach them not to dispose of pads in water bodies.. Collectively, if were all embracing the power of one, then we can radically shape the markets, she said. They have complained how the smell and sight makes them nauseous, said Kour. Four months ago, the 33-year-old switched to a silicone menstrual disc. That is unhygienic, Sinha said, We sensitise women that cloth must be washed properly with an antiseptic or detergent, and the dried in the sun before use. With this in mind, cloth pads can therefore be a safe, sustainable, convenient and cost-effective option. Read the latest stories on our gender and identity page. Photo courtesy Goonj. Transitioning to cloth pads, for a woman who has used cloth pieces earlier, as is the case in rural areas, is also easier, feels Sinha. Menstrual waste management, however, is a different story. How much money do you spend on tampons and pads per year versus a one-time cost? she said. pad. Patriarchal taboos around virginity, purity and dirtiness in many cultures and religions quash conversation and can impede the use of internal menstrual products, such as tampons or cups. But this, we can afford.. Dr. Natterson said shes made sure her 16-year-old son knows to hand his sweatshirt to a classmate who has a blood stain on their pants, and to have a tampon or pad to share. The bottom line is when you use any disposable product, most of the impact comes from the manufacturing., Early puberty cases in girls have surged during covid, doctors say, Four years after switching to a menstrual cup, Abramson also bought period underwear to try out during the pandemic. A majority of menstruators rely on disposable sanitary napkins (DSNs). A simple pack of three reusable cloth pads costs around Rs. can remove your cup, dump contents, and wipe the cup rim with toilet paper. Jennifer Lincoln, an OB/GYN, lactation consultant and creator of a popular TikTok channel dedicated to reproductive health education, said she wishes period underwear had been around for her teen years. taking approximately 500 to 800 years to decompose. Chandramani who is trained by Nav Astitva Foundation in Bihar, said that she sells the cloth pads at Rs 5 per piece, a small amount since she has just started out. The convergence of the two ideals may signify a cultural shift in how young people are approaching menstruation. If we talk about sustainable menstrual products, its a completely different product, so were having to educate consumers about the novelty of a product they have never been connected with before.. Sustainable menstruation refers to the use of alternative products during ones menstrual Dry waste means waste other than bio-degradable waste and inert street sweepings; it includes recyclable and non-recyclable waste, combustible waste, sanitary napkin and diapers, etc., states the document. If you find yourself in a public stall without access to your own personal sink you The primary component in all DSN is plastic. Abramson isnt alone in trying out sustainable menstrual products in hopes of lessening her ecological footprint. products as well as periods as a whole. Tackling agrobiodiversity loss in Odishas Similipal protected area, Land banks in Jharkhand may become a recipe for conflicts, Unaccounted deaths lay bare the dark side of sand mining, In the midst of coal shortage reports, a coal mine extension is approved in pristine Hasdeo forests, As India looks to shift to renewables, Jharkhands coal mine workers fear loss of jobs and social security. They forget that after throwing the pads, someone else has to segregate each waste by hand. A welcome move, this made menstrual hygiene products more accessible and affordable to a lot of menstruators.

While sustainable options like menstrual cups are making their way into urban areas, a number of NGOs and start-ups are teaching women in rural areas to make cloth pads that are an affordable, and environmentally sustainable option.

I can stitch about 10 pads in a day, after doing the household chores, she added. This implies that there is growing awareness among women about menstrual health. Women not fortunate enough to afford sanitary napkins and other hygienic menstrual hygiene products use rags, ash, plastic, or even sand as alternatives. products have on our environment in efforts to reduce the plastic waste ending up If you go into the school bathrooms, theyre stocked with Always, she added, referring to the disposable brands ubiquitous presence in her California high school. Lincoln said she counsels patients to explore which sustainable period products will work best with their bodies adding that some people may need practice to get the correct positioning of a menstrual cup or disc. that space but also provided free reusable menstruation products that students were the best for your shape. But the market share for reusable products is expected to grow through the next decade, according to forecasters, largely fueled by the wider acceptance and availability of menstrual cups in Western countries. Cost depends on flow, preference and how often a person changes products. to five teaspoons of menstrual blood. it can be trimmed. It was like, Lets not talk about this, I need to leave the room, said the 43-year-old mother of two. The problem does not lie in cloth but in the wrong use of that. Environmental sustainability and menstruation may be having a moment, but its not the first time, said Lara Freidenfelds, a historian of health, reproduction and parenting, and author of The Modern Period: Menstruation in Twentieth-Century America. Homemade menstrual rags were the norm through the turn of the 20th century, up until Kotex became the first successfully mass-marketed pad in 1921. This movement also focuses on the access to sustainable menstruation products all

For context, the Environmental Protection Agency found that in 2018, a typical vehicle emitted about 4.6 tons of carbon dioxide per year. Under the Clause 4 duties of waste generators, consumers should wrap securely the used sanitary waste like diapers, sanitary pads, etc. In July 2018, the Central Government implementedtax exemptionson sanitary pads and tampons. Representative Image. This project provided a space to discuss these I think what most people dont think about is all of the energy and the water and the emissions associated with making products most people only think about the end of life, said Susan Powers, director of the Institute for a Sustainable Environment at Clarkson University and co-author of a 2019 life-cycle assessment of menstrual products. Under this, households should wrap and mark their sanitary waste with a red dot before disposal. Still, some young people cant afford reusable products, especially in communities where period poverty or the lack of access to menstrual products is an issue. We break taboos and customs by adding scientific facts and logic. Mall said she is loyal to her cup, which has a life span of up to 10 years. Mongabay Series: Eco Hope, Environment And Health, Almost like in an advertisement for a sanitary napkin company, Chandramani Devi of Bihars Sitamarhi district said she felt liberated after using cloth pads during her menstrual cycle. 2020) through a grant proposal funded by theASI Sustainability Projects Funding. The cup should be comfortable and not protruding from the vagina. Young people want alternatives to disposable tampons and pads and theyre not embarrassed to talk about it. Reusable Pads: These are thin and flexible, but can absorb more than a regular disposable [Video Explainer] What is the significance of the Biological Diversity Amendment Bill and why did it face opposition? An individuals purchasing power can feel small in the grand scheme of the U.S. economy, Darnall noted, but she still likes to focus on the positives. Once you can reach it pinch the base to break the seal and There have always been young people who were idealistic and thought about these things but did not find the products available to be practical, she said. Darnalls research has found that a higher percentage of consumers consider sustainability if it directly affects them. Black women who once hated guns are embracing them as violence rises, This American teacher also sits in a Russian jail, worried nobody cares, Well-rested Mystics open a crucial stretch with a win at Dallas. This practice, however, is not as widespread and often the packet to seal individual sanitary napkins itself if too flimsy to appropriately hold the waste product. If you have a heavier period

right for your unique body. Every 10-12 hours your cup must be removed. I was anticipating that it would be uncomfortable or would feel icky, but for me it works, and honestly I think less about period maintenance now., In fact, she added, she has turned her period into a positive thing: Theres this weird satisfaction in knowing that instead of throwing out who knows how many tampons every month, Im not anymore.. Not just in rural areas, many urban women domestic workers, cleaners, migrant construction workers cannot afford disposable sanitary napkins. You can also use a vagina friendly soap As an online community leader for the Inner Cycle, a virtual forum for the August brand, Anaya connects with her peers on social media to provide education and awareness. disposes of over 10,000 products into landfills during their lifetime. cycle for the benefit of the body and earth. (Estimates suggest that regular, nonorganic pads may take 500 to 800 years to break down.). DSNs are marketed as more hygienic with an increased absorption capacity. With tax exemptions, DSNs became more affordable. Period poverty is the inability to afford hygienic menstrual products thereby leading to decreasing menstrual health management in low-income areas. Sustainability has historically been sacrificed for the sake of convenience, she added.

If you go to buy an organic carrot, a carrot is still a carrot, she said. As only flimsy packets are provided, the consumers themselves do not take the onus to wrap the soiled DSN carefully before disposal. Dr. Natterson recently considered using cloth pads again after a failed experiment with them years ago, at her teenagers behest. A 2018reportby WaterAid India and Menstrual Hygiene Alliance India (MHAI) states that there are 336 million menstruating women in India, out of which only 121 million use sanitary pads. Curious about sustainable period products? But, Darnall said, when the public is educated on these products, they begin to connect on a more personal level.

For Ojeda, using the boxer brief period underwear serves as less of a reminder, less of a trigger that people are seeing me as a woman because of my menstruation.. Now I no longer feel nervous that the cloth will shift if I walk fast! she said. people who menstruate should have. These frank conversations have led Ms. Palep and her daughters, Aviana and Anaya, who is 8, to create Girls With Big Dreams, a line of undergarments for tweens, which includes reusable period underwear that offers an environmentally friendlier alternative to disposable pads and tampons; their brand will launch in early February and be sold online. 350sustainable menstruation items to students this fall (2020). Throughout the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, the government has laid down methods of disposing of menstrual waste. These underwear are absorbent and washable. If I talked about menstrual cups six years ago, I would have been met with inquisitiveness and curious eyes. Switching to eco-friendly sanitary napkins and cloth napkins is a natural progression for most menstruators.

Still, the average menstruator can use thousands of tampons in their lifetime. Johanna Mall, a 27-year-old landscape architect in San Diego, said she has spent only $20 on her menstrual products in the past nine years but she has bought at least four menstrual cups for friends to try in that time. That number is different for every person who menstruates. product to use. If neither strain you use to poop. Nadya Okamoto offers bits of wisdom about periods on the TikTok app. More than two metres of shredded cloth is used to make a pack of five MY Pads. Anyone can read what you share. When Sapna Palep was younger, she was mortified by conversations about menstruation. The cup can form to your shape a bit, so not being perfectly round is okay. A period comes to an end: 100 years of menstruation products. Teaching everyone to respect other peoples bodies everyone needs to be part of that conversation, she said. in our oceans or landfills. With new studies coming out about the presence and health effects of microplastics in tampons, choosing sustainable menstrual products may be a decision that benefits the health of the user as well as the health of the planet. Menstrual Cup: Usually made of silicone, menstrual cups can last up to 12 years. Not only did this project provide Given the potential benefits for individuals and the planet, environmentalists have been pushing reusable menstrual products as a worthwhile sustainable swap, and the global menstrual cup market is growing: It is projected to reach $636.16 million by 2027, as concerns about single-use waste rise and users become more aware of their options. your own bag be sure its breathable for long term storage (PUL waterproof bags are I have really horrible periods, so its been a very comforting thing to wear when Im not feeling my best, Ojeda said.

If you would like to sanitize the cup without boiling, you can look for. One study this year found that in the United Kingdom, 28,114 tons of menstrual waste is produced annually, and about 3,363 tons are lost to the environment. you will want to remove the cup and empty the contents more frequently. does, we recommend trying another cup that is softer than your current cup. 160 which is unaffordable for many, said Janvi Tiwari, co-founder of Menses with Manasa, based in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. In 2021, several states, including Louisiana, Maine and Vermont, nixed the tax. Inclusive Excellence, Community, & Culture, Sustainability Leadership & Administration, Past Service Learning and Internship Projects, Sustainable Cougars Office Program (on-campus and at home), Sustainable Cougars Office Program Interest Form, CSUSM Sustainable Menstruation Initiative, collapsible silicone menstrual cup sanitizers. Photo: Natracare/Unsplash. To boil your cup, we suggest placing it inside of a metal whisk and resting that in Use your muscles to work the cup down low enough to reach by bearing down, the same More research has also been done in recent years around the effect of single-use menstrual products. There is ambiguity on whether to consider menstrual waste as biomedical waste or as plastic waste. Between the two projects we have recieved over 400reusable menstruation products It is also an affordable option. Young menstruators are having a completely different experience in terms of managing their periods with reusables throughout their life.. As interest grows, studies have found such products are less expensive over time and less harmful to the environment. Sustainable menstruation is being mindful of the negative effects disposable sanitary Since the start of the pandemic, Ojeda has switched to using reusable period underwear from TomBoyX, with occasional backup from pads. remove. Reusable products such as cloth pads, menstrual cups can be used over a longer time and take one-ten years to decompose once discarded. Get fact-checked science and environment news from India in your inbox every Saturday! [Commentary] Is expansion of aquaculture in the Indian Sundarbans an ecological threat or a pathway to sustainable development? Hence, usage of rags, leaves were common, she said, thus starting her own venture under the name Kamakhya and now teaches women in her village how to make reusable pads. Other studies have found that reusable menstrual cups environmental impact is roughly 1.5 percent of their disposable competitors because of the reduced production associated with them. Experts state how exposure to poorly discarded DSNs can expose the workers to a variety of bacteria and illness. Meenakshi Gupta of Goonj, another NGO that also trains women to make cloth pads, went on to add that since their pads are made of surplus cloth, they help manage textile waste and are therefore sustainable in ways more than one. For cleaning while on your period, like pesticide residues, bleach, and phthalates that cause harm to the body. stretches. are safe and easy to use: dump, rinse, and reinsert a cup. When the underwear is full, users can wash and use them again. Mongabay-India is a conservation and environment news and features service that aims to bring high quality, original reports from natures frontline in India. Incineration has its disadvantages too., The future of sustainable menstruation lies in breaking taboos and empowering menstruators. stigmas and how they affect all people who menstruate. This reflects the experience of someone One of these practices is the use of safe menstrual products, like sanitary napkins, menstrual cups, cloth pads, and the likes.

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