Alternatives to the sanitary napkin

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make” – Jane Goodall

From my conversations with other women, I have observed that there is a general lack of awareness about the environment-friendly and safe alternatives to the sanitary napkins. While sanitary napkins are the norm, more environment-friendly alternatives to sanitary napkins are now available in the market. And slowly and steadily women are embracing these new alternate means to menstrual hygiene which have a much lower impact on the environment, and are deemed healthier.

Environmental impacts of sanitary napkins are now well known. Sanitary napkins, which are generally manufactured with raw materials such as cotton mixed with other artificial absorbent materials, and layered with plastic materials, have a huge impact on the environment and in some cases, on the health of individuals. The cotton used in sanitary napkin is bleached to make it look more white, which may contain residual dioxins, and may thereby have adverse impact on the sensitive parts of our body on a long term exposures. Disposal of soiled sanitary napkins is a major concern, especially in a developing country like ours, where municipal waste management system does not incorporate technology-based solutions. Hence, the municipal waste management workers and the waste pickers are constantly being exposed to the soiled sanitary napkins. Open burning of sanitary napkins is very common, both in urban and rural settings, leading to harmful chemicals being released to the atmosphere.

Sanitation programs across India, more so rural India, are advocating adoption of sanitary napkins. However, the management and disposal of used sanitary napkins is hardly being addressed or being considered in such programs. This is especially important because in rural areas where waste management systems are rudimentary at their best, this could lead to bigger environmental health issues over a long term. Here are some of the environment-friendly and safer alternatives to sanitary napkins that have gained much attention in recent times.

1. Menstrual cup

Menstrual cup is a bell-shaped cup made of medical grade silicone to collect the menstrual fluid. It is non-allergic and safe. Once inserted, the rim of the cup acts as a seal and collects menstrual fluid. One can go up to 12 hours without the need to drain the cup. To dispose off the collected menstrual liquid, the cup is removed and emptied followed by which it is rinsed. After rinsing the cup is ready for the next use. A single cup lasts a few years and usually costs around 700-800 rupees, although imported brands may cost a bit more. There are many different brands of menstrual cup available in the market and are also available online. The Shecup works well for me. You may check out the various brands on the links provided below.

http://www.shecup.com/

https://www.lunette.com/

2. Cloth pad

The cloth pad, as the name suggests is a washable and reusable cotton pad. Eco femme has both stitched and foldable varieties available. I often distribute this to women who are already comfortable with using cloth materials (mostly maids). The cloth quality is carefully considered keeping the purpose in mind. Read stories of women across the globe switching to the cloth pads here.

Ecofemme also manufactures cloth liners (panty liners) which are quite useful as a backup while figuring out the menstrual cup.

Source: ecofemme.org

Other options in India is

Uger pads

3. Biodegradable Sanitary Napkins

For those who consider the above options challenging, or not suitable to their needs or comfort, and wish to continue using sanitary napkins, they may consider the option of biodegradable sanitary napkins. These napkins do not use any chemicals and are made of natural materials such as cotton, bamboo etc (there are organic options too!) and thereby are bio-degradable. However their disposal could still be an issue, especially in the urban areas. Two brands that I am familiar with are

Anandi Pad:http://www.aakarinnovations.com

Organyc: http://biovea.net/in

An individual’s hygiene and health choices are a matter of personal choice and comfort. The above mentioned alternatives provide us with an opportunity to make a conscious decision in reducing our impact on the environment.

On a slightly different note, keeping the waste management issue in mind, a businessman from Gujarat, Mr.Shyam Bedekar, has designed an incinerator “Ashuddhi-nashak” for easy disposal of sanitary napkins. Many government schools are using these small and easy-to-use incinerators. While they offer a quick solution for disposal, the environmental impact of burning plastic containing sanitary napkin remains a concern.

Source: downtoearth.org.in

Shyam Sunder Bedekar can be reached at shyam61@yahoo.com or 09824074940

References & further reading:

http://thekachraproject.in/alternatives-to-commerical-sanitary-napkins/

https://in.news.yahoo.com/why-are-we-pretending-that-there-isn-t-a-growing-mountain-of-menstrual-waste-we-need-to-deal-with-111659074.html

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/simple-easy-and-healthy-51703

http://www.womensvoices.org/feminine-care-products/chem-fatale-report/

http://www.thealternative.in/lifestyle/menstrual-cups-time-to-reduce-monthly-plastic

I want a bar of soap not boday wash!

From the picture attached, my reason for choosing soap over body wash must be evident. As someone said, today life is all about short cuts! Anyway, so why do most people use body wash these days? Easy as a squeeze, moisturising on your skin, antibacterial? Well if you look a little further , there are sooo many options for handmade soaps today. They have natural and essential oils that moisturise your skin, they are fragrant,natural ingredients so no harsh chemicals etc. They usually are made by self help groups so your contributing to the social well being too. There is also an assuption that a bar of soap retain germs and bacteria but this has been proven wrong by a study, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2249330/ So you can bank on that. And the best part? No empty bottles!!! When you buy a 200 ml bottle, 100 ml is actually water! So I do hope you see why a bar of soap wins over body wash for an envronmentally consious person.Guys, every activity of ours has an impact on the environment.Every item we use has come from the environment directly or indirectly.Choose consiously!!!

2013.....

Ok ..so its 2013 January and how have I been doing in living sustainably? Not too bad I would say :) I live in Bangalore now amongst relatively enviornment conscious people.I live in one of those plush apartments with swimming pool and power back up. Minus points for that!I loved the times when some hours of darkness did so much good to us. The candle light dinner, time to tune into radio, just sit and do nothing for once!!! Now how can that go with our fast paced lives? So I do live away from office for want of a social life and take the bus everyday to work. I have a composter at home so all my wet waste is taken care of..The next time I am covering my nose coz the garbage van stinks I am going to be like,thank god my waste is not in that! Ya dry waste is..But it does'nt stink. I hardly eat out..cook myself for the most part. I carry cloth bags around, I encourage office folks to do the same. I ensured there was segregation of waste at source in office. Recycling of most of the dry waste.I notice my bin is always filled with packaging waste! So I ve been trying to minimise buying certain items. I ve saved all my shampoo / conditioner/ body lotion and other bottles to recycle. You must see a picture of that to believe how much one girl in this generationcan contribute to waste. Stopped using body wash and opt for hand made soaps instead. Check my next blog for details. Making body lotion at home is the next venture :) Cant wait to begin that....

A confused begining..

Sustainable living has been nagging me for a very long time now and a long time means 2 years at the least. Whats kept me away from this page for so long is my approach to tackle the issue at my end. There are times when I think big, like a BIG movement and then I think small, like addressing it in my life. So here I am taking the first step by writing a blog and scribbling the many ways I can contribute to a sustainable way of life. The effort to put down my thoughts together causes my mind to crowd.The open tap waiting while I brush my teeth, hot shower / quick cold shower, my food choices, COSMETICS, travel options, lunch choices, etc . Althought the last sentence is such a hotchpotch, one thing is clear, a major change in lifestyle can have a huge impact. It's hot and humid the minute I wake up in Mumbai, so do I need a hot shower? Talking about food choices, it is a topic in itself. I want to take lunch from home, I want to bake biscuits at home, make snacks at home.I must buy local and fruits that are in season and not california apples from the super market. I must take a shopping bag while buying vegetables. I see people take vegetables in a plastic and place it in their cloth bags. Or certain instances I have said its ok coz the guy already had everything in a bag and it would be a pain to change covers. I buy flowers once in a while. The traditional way is to wrap the flowers in a big leaf and tie it with thread but the shopkeeper chooses to pick the plastic bag next to the stack of leaves. Speaking of cosmetics, the cosmetics I ve used all my life must have made a good part of the landfill in itself. In india there are no take back policies so I am not sure how to deal with it. I was considering opening them up and making a colorful dustbin by joining the ends together. I 'll have to burn the ends and dioxin fumes are toxic. Travel option is one place where our impact is direct. Auto vs Train. I am put up in a hotel for a few days and my consious has been really keen. Do I need this bottled water, DO I need cooling in a hill station, do I need my towels changed everyday, do they need to provide me with tooth brush, do I need a newspaper everyday when I do not read it. Wile its difficult to achieve 100 % 5o % achievement would also be a great contribution. While I do follow few of the above, with the initiation of this blog I will make a 100% effort. Hope your inspired to make your own sustainable goals and reach them.