Alternatives to single-use hygiene products
ACAP Cape Breton selling reusable pads to environmentally conscious women
SYDNEY — A sanitary solution to the problem of discarded plastic tampon applicators is now on the shelves of an environmental store in Sydney.
Ally Chant, project assistant for the Atlantic Coastal Action Program Cape Breton, said washable sanitary pads can be purchased at the ACAP eco store on the Esplanade.
“That was kind of my first initiative with the ACAP store after I finished with the Trashformers in the summer.”
Chant says the idea to sell the reusable female hygiene product came about when looking at the environmental issue created from discarded plastic tampon applicators. They are being flushed down the toilet and ending up in Cape Breton waterways. There are 38 raw sewage outfalls across the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
After posting about the issue on the Zero Waste community website, Chant came in contact with Shannon Shields, who lives just outside of Windsor, Hants County. She is the owner of Body Honour Products that makes environmentally friendly products.
The pads cost $10 each. Chant says that might seem expensive getting started but each handmade pad lasts 10 years.
“One pad is the same price as a box of tampons,” she said. “It is a big upfront expense but the payoff over the years is amazing."
The pads were only stocked Dec. 20. Although ACAP Cape Breton hasn't advertised having them yet, five have been sold already.
The eco store also now stocks washable panty liners and post-partum pads, all created by the same company.
“You can freeze the postpartum pads and make them colder,” she adds.
Shields said Body Honour Products focuses on using fabric to “make beautiful and reusable alternatives to household single-use plastics with good health in mind.”
The environmentally friendly pads were created by Shields eight years ago. Each pad contains a layer of cotton, an absorbent material called Zorb in the middle, and a fleece backing.
“It was a hard sell in the beginning — it was a very new idea — but it's going well now,” she said.
“The green movement wasn't as prevalent then as it is now. The feedback has been extremely positive. People are very surprised on how much they like them (and) how comfortable they are.”
Cloth diapering her children was the precursor for Shields's introduction to the reusable pad that she says is easily washable.
“All you do is put them in any cold-water wash,” she said. “So, when you have enough (pads) they can go in their own load. A protein (blood) stain would be set with hot water, so it's just a cold-water wash and they're dryer safe.”
The pads can last up to 10 years and you get about 150 washes out of each one.
“If you're washing them for your menstrual cycle, you're pretty well washing them once a month,” Shields said. “That's 12 times a year. So, when you get 150 washes, you're getting 10 years or more.”
Although the environmentally friendly alternative is attracting women to the concept, it's also a welcome purchase for those on a budget.
On average, women get a period for about 40 years of their life. According to information on the Canadian Public Health Association website, it is estimated that Canadian women spend up to $6,000 in their lifetime on menstrual hygiene products.
ACAP placed an order for 62 reusable cloth pads, the equivalent of keeping 9,300 disposables from the landfill.
Shields said ACAP Cape Breton is the first shop to stock the pads on the island but she's hoping to find more retailers.
She says these pads can also be used for bladder leaks.
Shields's other environmentally friendly products — including beeswax food wraps — can be found on her website, www.bodyhonour.ca.