umsu.wom*n's

a rad pad

Many people don’t know that there are alternative menstruation products that are better for your health and the environment and also end up saving you money!

a moon cup with its cute bag

To spread the word, on Tuesday March 20 (week 4) at 1pm the Wom*n’s and Environment Departments are running a free workshop to teach everyone how to make their very own rad-pads (cloth pads that can be washed and re-used)! The workshop will take place in the Wom*n’s room and materials, instruction, tools, and fun will be provided free of charge. There will even be a prize for one lucky participant!

Email womyns@union.unimelb.edu.au or environment@union.unimelb.edu.au so we can save you a place!

SOME INFO ON SUSTAINABLE MENSTRUATION…

WHAT?!

RAD PADS:

Rad Pads are an alternative to disposable pads which are made of cloth so that they can be washed and reused rather than used once then thrown out.

MENSTRUAL CUPS:

Menstrual cups are reusable alternatives to tampons which are made of silicone and shaped like a cup, collecting menstrual fluid instead of absorbing it.

WHY?!

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS:

• One women uses over 11,000 disposable menstruation products in a lifetime
• Well over 700 million tampons and 1 billion pads are disposed of every year in Australia and New Zealand, contributing a massive volume to the demand for landfill sites. Many components of these products are non-biodegradable.

HEALTH BENEFITS:

• Unlike disposable menstruation products, reusable products such as rad-pads and menstrual cups do not contain potentially harmful pesticides and chemical residues. Unlike tampons, neither are known to cause toxin shock syndrome.
• Because menstrual cups are non-absorbent, they do not cause dryness or disrupt your body’s natural pH levels (35% of the fluid tampons absorb is natural moisture!)

CONVENIENCE:

• Menstrual cups can be left in for up to 12 hours (compared to tampons which can be left in for 8 hours at the very maximum)
• Because there is no string, menstrual cups are completely discreet and you only need one so there’s no need to carry bulky spares or worry about disposal of used products or packaging.

COST:

• Most women spend a minimum of $8- to $20- per month on disposable pads, panty liners and tampons, totalling a possible minimum $80-$240 annually.
• For the same cost a woman spends on average for a few months of disposable menstruation products, you can purchase enough rad pads to last for years and/or or a menstrual cup which will last for up to ten years.
• Over the average time that a woman may have her period throughout her life, using reusable menstruation products instead of disposable can potentially save over $2,400 – $6,500.