Once upon a time, I lived in a world with sewers, where tampon waste was flushed away in the toilet. I now live in a home with a septic system which is a strict no flush zone. When you are throwing away your period waste it is easy to see how it builds up.
So in 2019 after being a devout tampon user I made the switch to a menstrual cup. Aunt Flo officially went green!
Do I love the menstrual cup? The answer is yes, on some days. The startup was a lot to get used to. I was in very close contact with my lady bits during that time of the month, and it could be straight-up messy. Emptying the cup in a public restroom seemed unsanitary and way too personal to be doing in a stall. Leakage during exercise is still something I have yet to remedy.
What do I love about it? With time and experience, it has become a very natural task. The cup can be worn safely for up to 12 hours, so on a medium or light flow day, I can “set it and forget it.” It is comfortable and cuts back on the number of times I would normally change a tampon.
I have recently added absorbent underwear to my monthly green routine. I was gifted a pair of Thinx after a friend raved about them, and now I have my own collection. They come in various absorbencies and are actually really pretty. One glance, and you would never know their purpose was to collect menstrual blood.
I have not had to purchase more than a box or two of tampons and panty liners between the cup and the underwear in the past three years. I’m no environmental crusader, just a mom who wants to cut back on waste.
Here are some other ways I’ve cut back on household waste:
- Silicon baking dish covers to replace aluminum foil
- Bees Wrap
- Stasher bags to replace Ziplocs
- Cloth napkins
- Bamboo toilet paper
- Car rags for cleaning instead of paper towels
- Reusable straws
