Most women today rely on single-use feminine hygiene products during their menstrual cycle, such as pads. The first-ever menstrual pad was made by cellucotton, a hyper-absorbent plant-based material that had been developed for medical bandaging and was later repurposed. Disposable menstrual pads were first commercialised in the 19th century and have continued to be one of the most popular options for women today. Although not quite widespread in Indonesia, other types of products such as tampons are also widely used.
However, menstrual hygiene products today contain up to 90% plastic and will take up to 500 years to fully break down (UNEP, 2021). With the estimation that a single individual might use around 10,000 single-use period products in their lifetime, the amount of waste produced from menstrual hygiene products is staggering. The non-biodegradable materials combined with the waste produced raise environmental concerns for future generations.
Environmental Concerns Regarding Single-Use Menstrual Hygiene Products
Single-use menstrual hygiene products have the potential to release toxic chemicals and microplastics into the environment, which can cause further harm to the ecosystem. This is due to the disposal method of menstrual hygiene products. More often than not, these period products are disposed of incorrectly and could end up in open fields or bodies of water, which contribute to soil and water pollution. When they are disposed of as regular waste, these period wastes still end up in landfills and inevitably contribute to pollution, as plastic takes hundreds of years to break down.
What are Reusable Feminine Hygiene Products?
These environmental concerns push women to find an alternative for single-used menstrual hygiene products. While these alternatives have already existed since reusable period products first became popular, they are not as widely known or used as their single-use menstrual hygiene counterparts due to inconvenience and misconceptions regarding them. They have become more popular in recent days due to a rise in awareness regarding the environment and feminine hygiene
There are some available reusable menstrual products on the market right now, such as menstrual cups, period underwear, reusable pads, and menstrual discs. Switching to these options can help reduce the amount of waste created in each cycle for women. A menstrual cup can be used for up to 10 years. At the same time, period underwear and reusable pads can be used up to five years and more with the proper care and storage. The switch to reusable products could reduce the amount of plastic waste produced by menstrual hygiene products in the landfill.
At KOMIt Foundation, we believe that sanitation should not come at the cost of environmental and ecological balance. Therefore, we support access to and education about safe and sustainable period products. As part of our focus on promoting sustainability and empowering women, awareness of reusable period products is crucial. Knowledge of sustainable options might be able to help women solve problems they have encountered during their cycle or to help women lessen the amount of waste produced in general.
Reference(s):
(UNEP 2021). United Nations Environment Programme (2021). Single-use menstrual products and their alternatives: Recommendations from Life Cycle Assessments.