Everything has an environmental implication , and period products are no exception . Kerry MacKay has advice on all matters menstrual
Bloody diving
Everything has an environmental implication , and period products are no exception . Kerry MacKay has advice on all matters menstrual
Would you put your regulator mouthpiece in your mouth if you were told that it probably contains harmful chemicals and that no one has to tell you what it ’ s made of ? Would you be happy if you had to throw away your mouthpiece every day , but got taxed highly every time you buy a new one ?
Around 15 million of us in the UK face a similar conundrum at ‘ that time of the month ’. We can all support people who menstruate to enjoy diving comfortably ALL month . While avoiding some nasty floating surprises on our own dives .
Environmenstrual Week takes place every October . I ’ m joining the Environmenstrual campaign to raise awareness about period products and their impact on our health and the environment . Let ’ s look at the reality of the dilemmas in my first paragraph .
Every month , those of us with periods routinely expose our bodies to toxic chemicals . Manufacturers don ’ t legally have to state what ’ s in period products . Menstrual pads can contain up to 90 % plastic . Many are also known to contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals ( EDCs ). These harm our health and leach from landfills and sewage overflows .
Having periods costs you approximately £ 6,000 in your lifetime . Almost 3 million people in the UK struggle to afford menstrual products . Thankfully , the ‘ tampon tax ’ was abolished in 2021 . Scotland was the first country in the world to protect in law the right to access free period products for anyone who needs them .
One person will use around 10,000 disposable period products in their life . Every year 2 billion menstrual items are flushed down Britain ’ s toilets . Period products make up 10 % of sewagerelated debris on beaches . I regularly find such items in my job doing beach cleans with schools .
In my job at The GRAB Trust , I ’ ve been working on reducing menstrual waste for a few years . For our ‘ Be
Part of the Cycle ’ project we created and delivered a reusable period education resource pack to every school in Argyll and Bute . The most surreal moment of my career was being invited to speak about waste-free periods at the Scottish Episcopal Church meeting of the Argyll and the Isles Diocese ! Here are my top two options for happy wasteless diving on your period . As always , reusable is better than disposable .
Try a menstrual cup . They are comfortable , discrete , and last all day or night . To refresh it , just empty it in the toilet , rinse it under the tap or give it a swirl in its sterilization pot , then reinsert it . These are ideal for wetsuit diving and you can stop worrying about whether sharks can smell your blood !
Another option for drysuit diving and general day and nightwear is period pants or reusable pads . Reusable pads are just like disposable ones , except they are made of soft absorbent fabric with a waterproof backing . You attach it to your underwear with the poppers just as you
“ I ’ m joining the Environmenstrual campaign to raise awareness about period products and their impact on our health and the environment .”
would the sticky-backed type . Period pants are similar but already sewn into the underwear . Personally , I find the pants more comfortable . Wear it day or night then simply toss into the washing machine with your laundry . Hand washing is also an option . If you ’ re travelling , use a waterproof pouch to store your used pads / pants until you can wash them .
There is an upfront cost to the reusable options , but over the months and years , there will be major savings , on average £ 3,700 over your lifetime ! Many people find that their periods become lighter and less painful by using reusables . You can even get period swimwear these days !
Check out wen . org . uk for Environmenstrual Week info and to get discount codes on products that are better for you and the planet . In Scotland , many Councils offer reusables under the free-provision Act . Happy bloody diving ! �
A selection of reusable products and plasticky disposables
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