There are two big advantages to converting yourself to having plastic free periods. Not only are you massively reducing the amount of waste going to landfill (or being flushed into the sewerage system) you can save yourself loads of money over a lifetime as well.
“A menstrual riddle for you: If the average woman menstruates for forty years and uses approximately 20 tampons per cycle (240 tampons each year) how many will she use during her entire menstrual lifecycle? Answer: 9,600.” – https://divacup.com/eco-divas/
Bearing in mind that the majority of tampons contain plastic that’s 9600 bits of plastic going to landfill, and think of all those applicators and the packaging as well!
Please note there are some affiliate links in this article, meaning I might make a small amount of commission, at no extra cost to you, if you buy something.
Plastic Free Periods
The majority of tampons are made with some sort of plastic in them. For example Tampax contain rayon, cotton and polyester. The ‘Pearl’ range also includes polypropylene and polyethylene. Many tampons (applicator or not) also come with individual plastic wrappers. Sometimes the cardboard box they come in also has plastic wrapped around it.
It’s possible to buy organic cotton tampons but they can be pretty expensive (£3.50 for 16). And even though they’re much better for the environment it’s still a lot of waste that has to go somewhere.
Sanitary towels have a variety of materials contained in them… and in the packaging.
Plastic Free Periods – Options
I would always advise to go for a product that is reusable rather than single use. You can try a menstrual cup, period pants, reusable sanitary towels and even reusable tampons. However I do understand that not everyone is comfortable with reusable sanitary products. For those people there are organic cotton pads and tampons available. Although you might feel comfortable trying period pants if the other reusable options are not for you.
- Menstrual Cups
- Period Pants
- Reusable Pads
- Reusable Tampons
- Non-Applicator Tampons, Organic Cotton
- Applicator Tampons, Organic Cotton (cardboard applicator)
- Disposable Pads, Organic Cotton
My recommendation is to use menstrual cups and period pants. You don’t necessarily need to use period pants if you’re using a menstrual cup but it gives you extra peace of mind. Period pants often seem quite expensive, but you do have to take into account that you won’t be buying single use products. It’s worth noting there are some very affordable ones on the market and the variety available is improving all the time.
Period Pants
Sporty Period Pants
£10.50
‘Sassy’ Period Pants
£10.50
Period Proof Boyshorts
£27.95
Period Thongs (2)
£54.00
Period Pants (2)
£56.00
Check out plastic free period products at TOTM, &Keep, The Ethical Superstore and Wearth London. It’s also worth checking out Cheeky Wipes who sell very affordable period pants alongside their reusable wipes kits (which are an alternative to toilet paper).
TOTM sell both applicator and non-applicator tampons, panty liners and pads and menstrual cups, as well as some bags for you to dispose of your period care. Everything TOTM sells is completely plastic free and there are no nasty chemicals. The panty liners, pads and tampons are all made with GOTS certified organic cotton.
The thing I love about TOTM the most is that you can purchase a trial pack which contains a variety of the plastic free period items they sell so you can find out which you prefer to use. The trial pack, which they call the ‘organic cotton switch kit‘ contains 1 light cardboard applicator tampon, 2 medium cardboard applicator tampons, 1 super cardboard applicator tampon, 1 medium flow pad with wings, 1 super flow pad with wings and 2 daily unwrapped liners.
The Cost of Periods
In the UK, sanitary products have a 5% VAT rate (compared to the standard VAT of 20%) and they are classed as “non-essential, luxury items”. A reduced VAT rate is a start (however, I’d hardly call a tampon a luxury item), but why is any VAT applied to something like this when cakes are VAT free?
“The charity Bloody Good Period provides menstrual supplies to food banks, asylum centres and “those who can’t afford them.” They estimate that the average lifetime cost of having a period is about £4,800.
Assuming the average woman has 450 periods in a lifetime(…), that works out at about £128 a year, or just under £11 a period.” – channel4
Bloody Good Period also states that an average pack of 20 tampons or pads is £2.37. So the £11 figure must take into account pain relief, new underwear or the fact that many of us will spend extra money on chocolate or DVD’s to make ourselves feel better.
Cost Comparison
Costs are based on the assumptions made above (eg. 20 tampons per cycle, periods for 40 years). I’ve also purposefully looked for the very cheapest option – own brand sanitary products. Also bear in mind that some people may use more, some may use way less.
Sainsbury Own Brand Non-Applicator Tampons
- 95p per 20
- £11.40 per year
- £456 – lifetime
Sainsburys Own Brand Sanitary Towels
- 85p for 24
- £10.20 per year
- £408 – lifetime
Reusable Sanitary Pads
- £30 – average is about £15 for 10 reusable pads (let’s assume you use 20 per cycle and can’t be bothered to wash them during the cycle).
- £30 per year
- £240 – lifetime (assuming you buy 2 new sets of 10 reusable pads every 3 years).
Menstrual Cup
- £20 (average price)
- £20 per year
- £160 – lifetime (assuming you replace your menstrual cup every 3 years – although they can last up to 10 years).
The above uses a lot of assumptions, such as each person understanding how to use a menstrual cup straight away! They can be a bit tricky and they might not be appropriate for everyone. However just looking at the cost comparison, buying a new menstrual cup every 3 years over a lifetime is so much cheaper than buying the very cheapest own brand non-applicator tampons or sanitary towels.
There are lots of options available for plastic free periods these days and I think it’s every persons responsibility to do what they can to reduce how much plastic we throw away. Find the eco-friendly version that you’re most comfortable with. I use menstrual cups but it took me a long time to be convinced to use them, and it took a few cycles before I felt completely at ease. I now use period pants as well just for that extra peace of mind. There is no way I would ever look back.
Make sure you also read 25 Ways To Use Less Plastic
Main article image – allow me to apologise as I searched for a picture of a woman rollerblading for a long time but couldn’t find one. As we know, we love to rollerblade at that time of the month!
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