Period Poverty is Contributing to an Environmental Crisis

By Kate Jones

Holding Tampons via wix.com

According to a study by WUKA, “more than a third of British females (36 per cent) are unaware of the impact single-use period products have on the environment.”

This could be because society has taught women to not talk about their period.

As young girls, we quickly learn to hide talking about menstruation. In the first few years of entering womanhood, we learn how to deal with our period, yet we are still shameful and embarrassed walking the school hallways with our feminine hygiene products tucked away so no one can see them.

Not only is period poverty among women a taboo topic many have been taught to feel uncomfortable talking about, but the lack of communication and education surrounding women’s periods has contributed to an even larger problem.

“In the UK, the use of tampons, pads, and applicators generate 200,000 tonnes of waste per year,” According to a report by Wen Environmental. That is equivalent to around 1,000 blue whales, the largest animals to live on earth.

Founder and Director of The Period Purse, Jana Girdauskas said in an interview with Global News, “educating parents about more sustainable period products is important, as it encourages both parent and child to seek reusable options.”

However, although efforts toward sustainable, reusable period products may be advancing, the issue will not be solved until society stops shaming women away from talking about menstruation.

Morgan Rivers, a 20-year-old from Canada, consistently battles with her heavy, often painful, periods. “I’ve never felt uncomfortable talking about my period with other women, but I’ve always felt that there is a stigma around talking about your period, especially around men.”

According to a 2018 study conducted by THINX, “forty-two percent of women have experienced period-shaming, with one in five being made to have these feelings because of comments made by a male friend.”

“Not only does the conversation about periods need to be talked about more with women, but also men need to learn how to feel comfortable with it,” says Rivers. “They’re contributing to the problem too.”

Not talking about menstruation just leads to greater negative impacts.

”I think young girls should be able to talk about their period without being uncomfortable or having people say things like ‘it’s just her time of the month,’” says Rivers. “Talking about it can help educate girls who don’t have someone there to talk them through it.”

Along with diminishing period poverty within the household, schools are also making efforts to stop spreading shame around menstruation.

In 2018, student Amika George started a campaign called #freeperiods, which uncovered that “more than 137,000 UK children have missed school because of period poverty.”

Following this, the UK government released a scheme to provide free menstrual products across schools.

According to the press release, the scheme “aims to make sure girls can access period products when they are needed, reducing stigma and keeping young people attending school and college and engaged in education, when they might have otherwise missed out.”

“Schools have free condoms in guidance offices or health classes but when it comes to menstrual products, they don’t offer those,” says Rivers. “Having things like pads and tampons easily accessible in washrooms and even classrooms would be very beneficial to girls in case they didn't have them, or couldn’t afford to buy them.

Other countries such as Canada also have many non-profit organizations within post-secondary institutions that provide a safe space and free menstrual products.

But there’s always still more to work on.

The same WUKA report said “42% of women revealed that simply knowing about the environmental consequences has made them think again about switching from single-use products to reusable options.”

Natalie Bates, a fourth-year university student at Ontario Tech University, says that she made the switch to her reusable menstrual cup because she was tired of buying “expensive tampons”, but still thinks the reason they’re not as popular is because talking about menstruation isn’t normalized.

“There’s this misconception that periods are dirty or unhygienic which made me feel guilty about them,” says Bates. “Sometimes I choose not to talk about it with men because they get distant or it’s weird that I’m bringing it up.”

So how do we make our periods more environmentally friendly if we can’t talk about them?

According to a study by Life Cycle Initiative, “reusable menstrual products have a lower environmental impact than single-use menstrual products.”

Hand holding menstrual cup via wix.com

Products such as reusable period underwear, and menstrual cups are all

more sustainable options. However, according to the same report, the environmental crisis linked with period products depends on consumer behavior.

“Thinking back about how many disposable tampons and pads I’ve used is crazy,” says Bates. “Imagine that multiplied by all the menstruating women around the world. It’s a ridiculously high number of waste and it’s [a menstrual cup] a small, easy thing to do to reduce that.”