Period poverty
According to the Independent newspaper, Period poverty is a widespread issue in the UK — with 49 per cent of girls having missed a day of school due to periods Fullfact, an independent fact checking charity, estimates that at least 1 in 10 women aged 14-21 in Britain may not able to afford period products.
For more information on period poverty – what it is, and what we can do about it, read this leaflet from Yoppie.com. Sanitary products in the UK are, controversially, subject to VAT , and are expensive.
Reusable sanitary towels and menstrual cups are an excellent solution both to the expense of menstrual products and their huge impact on the environment. A disposable sanitary pad takes over 500 years to decompose. Thousands of tons of disposable sanitary waste are generated every month across the world. The waste from sanitary products is also toxic and hazardous to human health.
Reusable menstrual products include washable pads, the recently developed period pants (which are now widely available) and menstrual cups.
Freedom4girls is a small Leeds-based charity that supplies menstrual products including reusable sanitary protection to women across the UK, and also in Kenya and Uganda. Menstruation Matters provides a range of menstrual products, including washable pads, to women are fleeing domestic or sexual abuse.