Environmentally friendly alternatives to pads and tampons

Looking for some environmentally friendly period alternatives? The average woman uses 20 tampons per period. If you were to times this by 12 months you would be using 240 tampons per year on average. Each year Australian women add around 500 million pads and 300 million tampons into landfill! Not only are pads and tampons bad for the environment they are also bad for your wallet. If you spend around $10 per month on disposable menstrual products you can expect to spend around $5400 over the lifetime of your period!

Every woman is different. We all have different preferences for what we like to use during our time-of-month so it is important to have a lot of options. Here are 5 environmentally friendly period alternatives.

Menstrual cup

Menstrual cups are revolutionizing periods everywhere. If inserted correctly you will not feel the cup and you can simply go about your day without thinking about your period. The best part is, is that you will only need to clean out your cup every 12 hours! This is much better than the usual 3-4 hours for pads and tampons. You will have the freedom to be able to go to work and do everything else you need to do in a day without having to worry about taking pads or tampons with you. You will also be able to get a full night’s sleep without having to worry about getting up to change your pad or tampon!

The cups are soft and flexible and there are many tutorials and articles out there to help you get acquainted with your cup.

When it is time to change your cup simply dump the contents into the toilet, clean the cup and re-insert!

Reusable cloth pads

Not only do cloth pads come in cute designs but they are also environmentally friendly. For girls who prefer to use pads or younger women these are a great alternative. Simply place in your underwear the same way you would with a pad. Once done simply rinse with cold water and add to your laundry basket.

Soft discs

Soft discs are very similar to Menstrual cups, the only difference is, is that they are not re-usable.

They are however more environmentally friendly than tampons because you do not have to change them as frequently. For a more environmentally option, I would still go for the menstrual cup.

Period underwear

Period underwear can be a great way of forgetting that you have your period at all. You simply put on your underwear and then you can forget about having to change a pad or tampon all day long.

These speciality undies work by absorbing liquid. Say goodbye to ruining your favourite undies with your period.

You can even purchase period undies specifically made for girls with a heavier flow. Although you might want to change your underwear throughout the day if you don’t want to sit in wet underwear all day.

Ziggy cup

Ziggy cup is similar to the menstrual cup. Only better. This menstrual cup can be used during intercourse! It is incredibly comfortable and you can use it up to 12 hours at a time. Say hello to mess-free period sex!