I am not going to bored you with the history of pads and tampons. I am not going to put a warning about how I will be talking about *gasp* menstruation. If you want to read numbers and figure about the amount of years it takes pads and tampons to biodegrade this is not the article for you. I am writing this article to simply provide you with the zero waste alternatives to feminine care.

Pads

Organic 100% Cotton Reusable Pads can be used instead of plastic wrapped disposable pads. These pads are absorbent and washable. The come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and levels of absorbency. You can find them mostly on etsy or amazon. There are many ladies out there making their own.

Menstrual Cups



Silicone Menstrual Cups are a great alternative, this is my go to period product. There are a ton of different kinds of cups available. There are also a ton of websites dedicated to providing detailed comparisons between the many cups that can be found.

Although, I have seen some cups in store, you can browse a much larger selection online. There is a bit of learning involved with these as you do need to know how to insert it properly. I found that it only took me about 3 or 4 times to get the insertion part down.

Tampons



Sea Sponge Tampons are another option, however I have not tried these myself so I cannot speak to how well they may or may not work. According to some of the reviews a plus of this product is that you can have sex with it in and your partner would never know that you were on your period.

Period Panties



Period Panties are a fairly new period innovation. I have not tried these myself but there are many reviews and videos about them. From what I have read about them they do work.

Zero Waste Period

Is it possible to have a completely zero waste period? Technically, no because the period itself is a kind of waste but we can reduce the amount of other waste we produce because of our periods by being more conscious about our choices.

Check out other Zero Waste Bathroom replacements!

Like when buying any product please take into consideration the environmental impact of the production of the materials that were used to make it. Also, take into consideration how far your product is travelling and when possible buy local.