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Image Associated to Organic, Reusable Pads from Moontimes

Organic, Reusable Pads from Moontimes

July 16th, 2008

The cost to the planet of disposable sanitary protection is not a subject that is discussed very often. Luckily there are now environmentally friendly alternatives to disposable pads and tampons. Rachel Hertogs who founded Moontimes tells us more…

Women spend an average of 6.5 years of their lives bleeding. Most women in the world have no access to the luxury of ‘disposable’ sanitary towels and tampons but the average woman in the ‘developed’ world uses about 17,000 of these products during her life.

Taboos about menstruation have led to expensive, wasteful, polluting sanitary items, which bring unnecessary health and environmental problems. Today we have a wide choice of ‘disposable’ pads and tampons as well as washable ones such as sponges, cloth pads and the mooncup.

Some of the ‘disposables’ are more eco-friendly than others. If you don’t fancy washables then switch to organic cotton pads. Natracare make these and they are available in most health shops and some supermarkets. These organic pads and tampons don’t have the harmful chemicals that produce Toxic Shock Syndrome and are made from non GM cotton. They are also safe to put in your compost bin! (See our Natural Health category for more information about mooncups and Natracare)

In the UK we buy more than three billion disposable sanitary items every year; in 2001 we spent £370 million on them!!! Four million tampons and pads are flushed away every day in the UK, adding to marine pollution-It takes a tampon six months to biodegrade, a plastic sanitary towel liner lasts indefinitely. Flushing sanitary protection causes 75% of blocked drains.

I support sustainable living and so use sustainable fabrics such as fairtrade organic cotton and hemp. I also have a set of pad liners made from recycled towels, I’m a masseuse and never know what to do with my towels when parts of them get oil stained! So I began to make ‘recycled liners’ which are popular for women with a heavy flow! Moon Times empower women in body appreciation, environmental awareness and self respect through the use of eco menstrual products. I believe a healthy appreciation of our bodies and ourselves as women can be learnt through menstruation. I believe when women are aware of the benefits of a sustainable, healthy, economically viable and comfortable alternative, they appreciate the contribution they can make by choosing alternative menstrual products. I also believe women deeply appreciate learning about alternative and positive ways to think about their bodies.

Why do I use and make Moon Times?

I first came across cloth pads when I was researching alternatives to disposable nappies 18 years ago, I thought it was great to save money and the planet! My mother was horrified; it reminded her of the ‘rags’ she had used in her youth and the shame of trying to wash them. I was determined to follow my instincts and use my washable pads anyway, it was the late 80’s and advertising was telling us to shove a tampon up us and get on with life while and my body told me to rest, regenerate and reflect while I was bleeding. So I made my own Moon Times, choosing pretty coloured and patterned cotton flannelette.

Now my daughter is a menstruating young woman and I gave her a gift of Moons. At first she was unsure, having been given the free packs and the info (from a certain tampon company) at school and the slight brainwashing of ‘periods are dirty, blood should be hidden away’, but of course she had grown up with me as her mum and soon embraced her Moons, she even took them to a sleep over and soon her friends were asking me to make them, the rest as we say is history and Moon Times were launched!

http://www.moontimes.co.uk

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