Tampons, pads, menstrual cups, period underwear: What's best for the environment?

Updated November 04, 2017 11:29:55


But what kind of impact do menstrual products have on the environment?

Let's talk about waste

For women like Claudine, the "waste factor" is an issue that invites guilt when it comes to buying tampons and pads.

Key points:

  • The average woman uses 10,000-12,000 disposable menstrual products in their lifetime.
  • Pads take around 500-800 years to biodegrade.
  • Menstrual cups and period underwear have less of an environmental impact.

"But mostly it's just, I know it, it works for me," she says.

"I haven't stopped to reset or rethink about it."

"Menstruation is shrouded in secrecy and shame," says Rosie Sheb'a, the founder of Sustainable Menstruation Australia, a business and advocacy group she set up a few years ago, after researching the effect of menstruation on the environment.

"Through growing up with stigma, women in our society take a 'fix it' approach to menstruation."

Cultural taboos still prevent some women from openly discussing, or even considering, their options when it comes to menstrual products — and environmental concerns register lower still.

So what options are out there for women?


Most tampons are made of cotton or synthetic rayon, or a combination of both.

In Australia, companies are not legally required to disclose what their tampons are made of. This is down to tampons' classification under the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) as medical devices — so you typically won't see materials listed on packaging.

Like Claudine, many women in Australia use tampons — 300 million are sold in Australia each year.

"They came in plastic wrapping; I know it's wasteful," another woman told War on Waste.

"But sometimes, you just have to do what you got to do."


Pads are still more common in countries where there's still a stigma about, or lack of awareness of, using tampons.

But they're also a very popular option for Australian women, who buy 500 million pads a year.

Like tampons, manufacturers don't need to tell you what's in their product — though they're typically made of cotton, plastics and other synthetic materials.

Reusable pads, made of washable fabric, are also an alternative to disposable varieties.

Menstrual cups

The first menstrual cup was patented in 1932, and while the first silicone-based model was sold in 2002, their use has only recently become more widespread.

Bell-shaped, and typically silicone-based, menstrual cups sit in the vaginal canal and collect blood flow.

"I'm in my 20s and more and more people my age are using them because of the environmental and cost factors," says Selena, a convert.

"It kind of looks like a gumnut," says Jess, also in her 20s, who almost exclusively uses menstrual cups.

"You fold it up, scrunch it, and then shove it up there. It's awkward the first few times."

In contrast to disposables like pads and tampons, menstrual cups are reusable, and can be washed using boiling water a few times a day, or at the end of the day.

"But if I'm at work, and I want to change it, I'd have to change it at the sink. That doesn't feel right," Jess says.

Period underwear

Selena also started using period underwear a few months ago.

"They're a specially-designed underwear," she says.

With a built-in absorbent layer stitched into the underwear, protected by another leak-resistant layer, the pants collect blood while a woman has her periods, and are changed when required.

"It's washable and reusable; you can wash them at the end of your cycle and use them next month," Selena says.

While Selena admits they take longer to dry, she says they pants are designed to look like regular underwear.

"In an effort to market them better, they've overcompensated in the sexy department so women don't feel like they're wearing a nappy," she says.

So, what's better for the environment?

A 2016 CHOICE study found menstrual cups and period underwear have minimal impact on the environment compared to tampons and pads.

Disposables products can have a big impact on landfill — every pad takes around 500-800 years to biodegrade.

Aside from landfill, there's the issue of production: cotton-growing requires pesticides, which can pollute waterways.

Then there's the flushing.

"I went to school with so many girls who would put tampons in the toilet without realising that's not a thing you should do," Liv, now in her 20s, says.

Flushing tampons, their wrappers and applicators can cause pipes to block and sewage systems to flood.

"Sydney Water has to remove hundreds of tonnes of non-degradable products from our network every year and it costs us and other utilities millions of dollars to remove these products," Peter Hadfield, from Sydney Water, says.

"These problems aren't just happening in Sydney, they are happening right across Australia and globally."

Ms Sheb'a says her experience as a diver galvanised her resolve in this field.

"Nearly 0.5 per cent of all marine plastics debris is tampon applicators," she says.

Now her organisation is trying to change the tide.

A menstrual cup can do the job of thousands of disposable products, which makes it less harmful for the environment than tampons, pads or even period underwear — since a woman will need several period pants during their cycle, and they only last for a few years.

So, should women reconsider their use of disposable menstrual products?

Ultimately, it comes down to personal choice.

"Different people will find they prefer one option over the other," Sheb'a says.

"However we are all individuals and internal methods are not for everyone."

Topics: womens-health, women, recycling-and-waste-management, environment, sydney-2000

First posted October 27, 2017 12:36:17