you recycle what?!?!

what does your period have to do with the environment? read the comic.

view comic:
you recycle what?!?

art & story by:
andie white

Comments

[fireaphid]

crystal mentioned wanting some help in making her own cloth pads. There are free sewing patterns all over the Internet, but there are links to an especially large number here: http://clothpads.wikidot.com/patterns.

You can also design your own cloth pads based on the disposables you're used to by tracing them out, adding in some seam allowance, and extending the wings until they meet. You can also use this opportunity to make them longer, shorter, wider, or narrower based on your unique needs, making the best pad possible for you.

Or, you can buy a pattern from someone who sells them, a good option if you're a sewing newbie and expect to have a lot of questions meriting "technical support." Yay for cloth pads!

[piepirate25]

well, you're 13, so you're good to go. age is important, but it's more of the fact of whether you're comfortable using a menstrual cup.

one major reason: if you haven't really done anything to break or tear your hymen: i.e. horseback riding, bike riding, gymnastics, sex, etc. then there's a high possibility of tearing your hymen with the menstrual cup as it expands within you. plus, inserting it requires a good deal of relaxing yourself (down there especially), so if you're nervous about the whole she-bang, it just WON'T WORK. so before you worry too much about age, think about whether you're actually ready to purchase and use one of these babies.

it's only worth it when it actually WORKS for YOU. hope this helps ;o)

[maki]

does any one know if there is an age limit or anything on diva cups b/c im 13 and i dont know if i can use it

[taylor]

what are diva cups?

[Erin]

Did no one read the comic? You don't have to buy them, you can easily get your mom to help you make them, they can be machine washed, and will probably last long enough that you won't have to change them as often as disposables...

[Niamh]

I *LOVE* my cloth pads! I have TONS of them. All sorts of colours and prints. I will never ever go back to disposable pads! I also use the DivaCup instead of tampons. After using the cup, just like with pads, I'll never go back to disposables!

Not only that, but I've also used cloth diapers on my son since he was born.

I see a lot of comments about how "gross" it is to wash the cloth pads. It's not anything like the picture in the comic. I have NEVER hand washed my cloth pads (OR my son's cloth diapers for that matter). They go straight into the washer. No muss, no fuss. I don't see it ANY different than washing your underwear that you might have bled on. Don't you reuse your underwear?

;-)

[Crystal]

This is a wonderful idea!

But I want to make some of my own. Does anyone happen to have instructions on how to make these?

[Courtney]

I recommend vajpads.com and saucytots.com. They offer really cute and affordable pads.

If you're too young to buy them yourself, just let your mom know that cloth pads are SOOO much better for your health and that even though they cost more than disposable pads in the beginning, they last longer and pay for themselves in a year's time. Maybe you and your mom can both use cloth pads!

Most disposable pads and tampons have the chemical dioxin in them. Studies have shown a direct link between dioxin exposure and cancer, birth defects, and reproductive disorders.

If your mom is not willing to buy you cloth pads, maybe you can try to get her to buy you pads from a company called Seventh Generation. Their pads are chlorine-free. This is a better option than the normal pads but they still take 500 to 800 years to biodegrade like any other pad.

Also...if you're not into cloth pads, maybe you would be into a menstrual cup.

www.divacup.com
www.keeper.com

[what]

The best place to find cloth pads is on the internet. That might be hard for some of the girls because their parents need to help them with that and they might not be understanding. Just do a search for menstrual pads in google or on etsy.com

You can put a used pad in a ziplock bag or get a wetbag for them. It really isn't as gross as it sounds. I think disposable are really gross because that gel stays wet were as when you use cloth the blood actually dries and doesn't feel uncomfortable. They don't smell! Disposabiles smell, cloth doesn't.

Washing isn't hard. Throw them in the laundry.

http://www.ecomenses.com/ For information and tesitmonials on how cloth stops cramping and other period related uncomfortableness.

[Monkey]

If you're interested but have some questions, like how do they stay put, what do you do with them while you're out, how do you clean them, etc, www.clothpads.org is a really good resource. I switched about 2 months after this comic came out, although I didn't see it until today. It took me 2 months to think it over, get over the ick, and actually buy some pads, and I don't regret it at all.

Cloth is much more comfortable, way more absorbent, and doesn't smell at all! If you need to change one while you're out, put it in a wetbag until you get home. Plus you can just throw them in with your regular laundry if you don't want to handle them; they will get clean just like your underwear does!

You can ask your local drugstore or health food shop to stock them from a few of the big brands like Gladrags and Lunapads, but there are hundreds of styles available on the Internet. If you're crafty, you can even sew your own using recycled towels and pajamas! Check it out!

[sgt.peppermint]

wow, there's a bit of ignorance here. First off, most cloth pads are absorbant enough to last through a school day ( i wear them all day at school and haven't had a problem with smell or anything) Also, you're not really sitting on blood, it's been absorbed into the pad, away from your skin, which is better than having it held inside you like a tampon does. As for storing, well, you can take a small drawstring bag and store them in there until you can wash them

[sgt.peppermint]

wow, there's a bit of ignorance here. First off, most cloth pads are absorbant enough to last through a school day ( i wear them all day at school and haven't had a problem with smell or anything) Also, you're not really sitting on blood, it's been absorbed into the pad, away from your skin, which is better than having it held inside you like a tampon does. As for storing, well, you can take a small drawstring bag and store them in there until you can wash them

[mj]

I really want to start using these for when I start, and I'm gonna try and convince my mom to get me a Keeper (menstrual cup) too!! I love Mama Earth :)

[chane *chain*]

hmmmsss....where do u get them tho?
where a 11 can quickly buy some without having to look aound and be embarresed by a employer going 'whay can i help you fine?' *lol my mom usuly byes the pads*

[leah]

acctually, the cloth pads are really absorbent. everything gets sucked in, instead of sitting on top like disposable pads. that means they acctually smell less. most cloth pads fold into little pockets, with all the parts that get period on them tucked inside. you can just put them in your bag that way, or you can put them in a small sandwich bag then put them in your bag.

[ME]

Cool...I'm switching 2 cloth type...but uh, washing the pads...HAHA!!! NO!

Okay, think about this...what if you get your period at school!! Wash it in the school sink?! NOOO... or carry around a blood-filled, sticky, pad everywhere until you get home?! NO THANK YOU!!!

DISGUSTING!!!!!

[leah]

yaay!
thank you so much for making this comic!

i don't use recyclable pads, but they're definitely waaayyy better options that disposable pads.

there is another environmentally responsible option though, which is what i use. most girls (myself included) were pretty grossed out by this the first time they heard it, but just hear me out and be a bit open...they're called menstrual cups. they're inserted inside you like tampons, except they collect your period rather than absorb it. because of this, they're reusable and you only need one for several years! you can't feel them inside you like tampons, but they're waaayy better for the enviorment. plus, they're better for you, since they're not related to TSS like tampons, and they don't contain a bunch of shitty chemicals. plus there's a lot of money to be saved, since you're not constantly buying new tampons or pads. in the U.S. it's called the Divacup, and in Europe i think it's called the Mooncup. The Divacup website has a lot of information and testimonials and stuff, plus you can search "menstrual cup" on youtube and find some good information on them.

but yeah, menstrual cups and recyclable pads are a good alternative to disposable tampons and pads.

plus, menstrual cups mean you don't have to carry around a used pad, since you only need one!

the diva cup website is: http://www.divacup.com/

[Precious]

I would recycle, ride a bike instead of driving, and save earthworms on the side of the road. But I will never, ever wash my blood off a pad regulary. There are nice biodegradable disposable pads that are good for the enviroment as well--I find this idea disgusting. PLUS, you didn't answer the most important question: what do you do with the bloody pad after you finish using it and what if you cannot wash it immediately? You just carry a bloody pad around until you can? DISGUSTING!

[Amy]

Allie: "i will totally kill the cute wilderness creatures if it means i dont have to wash a cloth pad."

That was totally uncalled for.

[joejonasbabe22]

hmmm.... great idea!

[Nadine]

Yeah it's all good for the environment.

But do you really expect us to carry around an icky stinky pad in the middle of the day when we change?

Ewww NO.

[Emma]

its a bit weird, but i might when im older! not yet as I dont even use disposables yet (i havent started yet, im only 11, 12 in a week!!)

[lily]

hey allie: some brands of pads have snaps to go around your underwear.
great comic, i'm totally switching now.

[Nan]

That is so awsome! i love the enviroment and have been compaigning for federal changes. This is just one more green thing i can do!

[aysha]

well which brands are cloth and witch are disposible.

[Onyx-Star]

Well I've found a really good organic eco-friendly type of disposable pad which is just as good as a normal pad so yeah... :]

[Desiree]

i dont have my period yet but my sister says its better that i use tampons

but i am all for the emviroment!

what should i do?

i dont like to sit on blood though so pad are gross and so r tampons! HELP!!

[Angela]

I must look into this...
That's such a great idea!

[Becca]

sounds pretty weird, but sorta cool. where do y
ou get them?

[emily]

cloth pads you could maybe get at health food stores?

if you're used to tampons (full of bleach .. scary!) there are menstrual cups! yes they're made of plastic, but they last for a decade+ . and no risk of tss.

[Allie]

um.

i will totally kill the cute wilderness creatures if it means i dont have to wash a cloth pad.

no thanks very much.

and how do they stick?

there is no adhesive....

hmmmm.

gross.

[Kamilla]

I agree, that sounds really cool, but where do I get them? i went to my shoppers Drug Mart and i didnt see any there.