The Ick! Factor

Alright guys and gals, I am here to talk about a few things that everyone knows about, something else that very few people realize (or should I say are in denial about), and a final thing that no one EVER wants to talk about. We are all becoming more aware of our impact on the environment when it comes to the garbage we produce. And if you don’t really know, you can look at one of my earlier blogs, “You’re Trash!” to find out. We know that certain plastics take hundreds of years to degrade and even longer when sitting in a landfill. But really, other than recycling and buying “green” products, there is nothing we can really do about that, right?

Wrong! You need to stop thinking that NOW.  We, as human beings constantly surround ourselves with disposables. Paper plates, plastic cups and silver ware, plastic wrap, and many other household items. But what about those things that we throw away without thinking of any alternative? What about shaving razors, tooth brushes and medical waste? What about baby diapers and (men, you may want to shield your eyes for the next few words) feminine hygiene products? Alright, I know, but please bear with me for a moment. It is scary to think that your tampon is going to outlive you by a several hundred years. Imagine every woman in the world who uses at least 12,000 of these her entire life. All of it goes to the landfills and all will stay there for hundreds of years.

This is where the ick factor (term coined by yours truly) comes in. Every person has the ability to reduce the amount of waste they produce every year by limiting the amount of disposables they use including diapers, pads, and tampons. However, the idea of having to wash these things instead of throwing them into what I like to call the “magical vortex bin that makes the nasty go away” is really just too nasty for many of us to handle. If we can get past the Ick Factor, just think of how much landfill space we would save (not to mention saving tons of money!). Think about what was done not even 100 years ago. People used cloth diapers and rags. Think about what archeologists will dig up in 500 years (ick!).

If you are interested possibly trying out alternatives to disposable feminine hygiene products, you may be surprised about the alternative options. Check out the following links:

http://www.divacup.com/
http://www.gladrags.com/c-2-gladrags-cloth-pads.aspx
http://lunapads.com/


Or, you can make your own! Here is a design you can try out.


http://how-to.wikia.com/wiki/How_to_make_a_reusable_menstrual_pad


Is this too nasty for you? Let me know what you think! Post a comment.