Your View: Bethlehem should provide free reusable menstrual products to residents

Apr 24, 2023

As elected officials and residents go back and forth over plans to expand the Bethlehem Landfill, we should consider ways to reduce trash production, perhaps through unconventional methods.

Plastic menstrual products, such as tampons and pads, generate over 200,000 tons of waste per year. This waste accumulates in landfills where it remains for centuries, polluting nearby communities with groundwater contamination, air pollution and unpleasant smells.

Most of my peers at Lehigh University seem to believe that disposable menstrual products are the only option. As someone who has been using reusable menstrual products for years, I am confident this is incorrect.

Reusable menstrual products are more sustainable, affordable, comfortable, convenient and safe for the body. If Bethlehem wants to genuinely reduce its trash production, combat period poverty and fight environmental injustice, it should provide free reusable menstrual products, such as menstrual cups, discs and period underwear to residents.

Over the last decade, reusable menstrual products have grown significantly in popularity due to their comfort, sustainability and affordability.

Menstrual cups, which cost $6-30, are usually made of silicone and can last up to 12 years. They are safe and easy to use: dump, rinse, and reinsert the cup. Many women find them more convenient than other period products, as you can use them for up to 12 hours (no constant bathroom trips or worries of leaking), and they are worn internally, so you virtually forget you are on your period. In a study of menstrual cup use in the United Kingdom, 73% of participants prefer these products over disposable products.

Reusable pads and period underwear are excellent options for those who wish for externally worn products, and can be hand washed or easily thrown in the washing machine. They are made of absorbent material, keep you feeling dry, and can absorb 5 times as much as a regular tampon.

Not only do reusable menstrual products reduce the impact on the environment, they also decrease the financial burden of menstruation. The average menstruator spends $20 a month on disposable menstrual products, and the cost builds to an estimated lifetime cost of $9,000. For the cost of two months of disposable menstrual products, a person can buy a product that lasts for 12 years.

For women and families living paycheck to paycheck, this means freeing up to $20 per menstruating person each month for other expenses, like groceries, school supplies or medicine.

Access to running water and a single-stall bathroom at home is required for the use and sanitation of reusable menstrual products. While the financial benefits of reusable products would be significant for those dealing with homelessness, disposable menstrual products are often preferred by homeless women as they may lack access to running water and personal bathrooms.

Disposable products such as tampons and pads should undoubtedly be supplied to the unhoused, as access to sanitation provides dignity and is vital to getting back on one's feet. However, the financial benefits of reusable products for low-income households (that do have a bathroom and running water) would be significant, and a financial game-changer for families.

Reusable menstrual products could be distributed through community centers, hospitals, doctor's offices, health clinics, schools, women's centers and social service agencies. The Lehigh Office of Sustainability and Center for Gender Equity partnered with AllMatters, a sustainable period company, to provide free menstrual cups and period underwear to students. Bethlehem could do something similar, partnering with a company to buy bulk reusable period products to distribute to the community at a low cost.

I wish I had access to these products earlier, and I want other people to be able to have the same experience of forgetting that they are on their period!

I imagine a high school girl who, instead of going to the bathroom every class to check if her cheap pad leaked, can feel confident that her leak-proof period underwear will prevent her from bleeding through her jeans and can focus on learning. I imagine a busy mother who, thanks to her menstrual cup, is able to go 12 hours without needing to change a tampon, and can save $20 a month to buy extra groceries. Reusable period products make an uncomfortable week of the month a bit more bearable and are something all people should have access to.

Elizabeth Hayes is a junior environmental studies major and global social impact fellow at Lehigh University.

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