Zero Waste Period

Hi, my name is Hiral, and I am here to talk about zero waste periods.

What is a zero waste period?

A period where you use no single use disposable products and contribute no waste to the environment.

I had my first zero waste period 2 years ago. Finance was the main determining factor to encourage me to change my ways. I used to spend on average £8 a month on pads, liners and tampons. It was painful to see my hard earned money going straight into the bin.  It doesn’t sound like a lot at first, but over time it adds up.

As I saved money, I recognised how much less waste I was producing. Previously, I would have to empty my bin twice during my period! It would be full of pads, tampons and wrapping, which take over 500 years to decompose.

I was so impressed with my reusable period products and the changes I’d made, that I delved further into world of reusable pads and underwear. I discovered it’s not only the waste in the landfills I was adding to all those years. The production of disposable pads and tampons is both resource and chemically intensive, which is damaging to the health of workers, local communities and habitats. A year’s worth of disposable period products leave a carbon footprint of 5.3 kg CO2 equivalents. [1]

Disposable pads and tampons are made from plastics and cotton. The raw material extraction, involved in the production of cotton, is very water intensive. Cotton is one of the world’s “thirstiest crops,” requiring 3.5 litres of water to grow one little bud. Most sanitary products use non-organic cotton, which has been saturated in pesticides and insecticide. Not only are pesticides dangerous to the environment, but they are also hazardous to a person's health. Pesticides have been linked to cancer, Alzheimer's Disease, ADHD, and even birth defects. Pesticides also have the potential to harm the nervous system, the reproductive system, and the endocrine system. Although a one off exposure won't kill you, if they build up in your body, they can be potentially detrimental to your health and should be avoided as much as possible. [2],[3]

Most pads also contain polyethylene plastic. This is the sticky part of the pad, which is a harmful pollutant. Tampons also contain chemicals such as dioxin, chlorine and rayon. While the products sit in landfills, these chemicals get soaked up by the earth and are released as pollution into groundwater and air. [4]   

Endometriosis is a condition when the cells which should normally break down and bleed out during a period, develop abnormally elsewhere in the body. They have no outlet to leave the body, causing inflammation and scar tissue in the affected areas. Endometriosis is linked with exposure to dioxin and endocrine disrupting chemicals, even small amounts in menstrual products can add up over a lifetime of use. [5] 

A recent study from the US found that non-organic, rayon-based tampons, which is most tampons found on the high street, contained some pretty nasty chemicals. These chemicals included paint stripper, chemical absorbers, filler, lubricants and pesticide residues - and that’s just the chemicals we know about because these toxic chemicals are rarely disclosed by tampon manufacturers.

There is very little public information on what's in our menstrual products. This may be because the menstrual products industry basically polices itself. [6]

My world was changed. All that waste I had been contributing to the landfills, and that was just me! How could I have been so ignorant? But disposables were all that I knew. I was taught to use disposables by my mother, my school, my sex education classes, my friends and society as a whole. I now use a combination of reusable period pads and underwear to get me through my cycle, contributing zero waste to the environment and saving me money.

I have come to realise the massive impact my personal choices make on the environment and I want to encourage and educate others to do the same. I can’t let my friends and family continue using these products which are harming both themselves and the planet! There are a total of 3 women in my household - if I inform them and they inform another 3 women and so on, just imagine the impact this could have on our bodies and the world!

As I try to educate and encourage women around me to consider switching from disposables to reusables, I am met with some resistance. People are accustomed to the convenience of disposables and are not willing to accept their contribution to the landfills. Some don’t even want to listen, “I’m happy using my pads and tampons, I don’t need to try anything new”. Ignorance is bliss. But I truly believe we have an opportunity here to change mindsets, even if it’s just one person.

My mindset was changed and now nearly all of my bathroom products are reusable. I’ve never felt better about the switches I’ve made and I wanted to make these changes readily accessible for others. I started a small project selling reusable period pads, underwear, face pads and other replacements for daily disposable products.

Only time will tell whether people will actually change their habits. Right now, it’s normal for people to buy something, use it once and throw it away. I want to help create a new normal. A normal where it’s crazy to use something once and throw it away.  Where we don’t allow toxic chemicals in and around our bodies. A normal where, when our children get their first period we introduce them to sustainable and non-toxic products. 

A future where it’s normal to have a zero waste period.

By Hiral Varsani

Instagram: @Unspoiled_uk

Website: www.unspoiled.co.uk

A guide to non-toxic period products