| Half
the population of the planet has periods. Menstruation is a natural
and healthy process. Menstrual blood is the stuff of life itself,
nourishing the growing foetus in the womb. In many cultures starting
your period (menarche) is a time for celebration, and the monthly
lunar cycles are respected, honoured and embraced as a time of reflection,
renewal and women’s power.
So
why are we so hung up on the issue? Why, for so many, is it so
associated with pain and negativity, surrounded by silence and
secrecy? And what effect does this culture of silence have in
terms of our choice of sanitary protection (sanpro) and its implications
for health and the environment?
Since
1989 WEN has campaigned for greater awareness of the environmental
and health issues around sanpro and the options available. |
 In
the UK we buy more than three billion disposable sanpro items
every year; in 2001 we spent £370 million on them. Disposable
panty liners used between periods are increasing the size of the
market. It all adds up to a massive number of items every year,
which end up incinerated or in landfill, or reappearing in our
seas and rivers.
Is
the perceived convenience and liberation offered by tampons and
disposable pads all it seems? Can we really ‘flush and forget’?
How can we combine convenience and sustainability, without compromising
our health or that of the environment?
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