Switching to reusable period products could save us £120 per year or nearly £5k across our period lifetime of 40 years.
The research comes from Wear ‘Em Out, one of the UK’s leading reusable sanitary pad providers, which highlights that disposable sanitary pads cost the user 95% more than using reusables would.
The cost per item for mainstream disposable pads is 12 pence, compared to the cost per use for a reusable pad which is 0.06p. The cost per use of other reusable period products are also significantly more than other options on the market with a menstrual cup and period pants estimated to cost around 19p per use based on their lifespan. Yet reusable pads weigh in at the cheapest option, and can be reused multiple times, with the average reusable pad lasting for 3+ years. If the average cost of a period is around £10 per month, switching to reusables could save an individual up to £120 per year.
With experts estimating that the average person spends around £18,000 on period products in their lifetime, the news comes as millions across the UK battle with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and look for more economical alternatives.
Additionally, disposable menstrual waste has a hefty cost attached when taking into account all the money spent through council tax and water rates to manage all the waste and blockages caused by disposable products. According to the WEN, it costs £88 million a year to unblock sewers blocked by menstrual products in the UK. Adding to this the 4.8 pieces of menstrual waste being found per 100m of British beaches being cleaned.
The same WEN research shows that half of the people who period in the UK flush tampons and sanitary pads away and estimates that 1.5-2 billion menstrual items are flushed down Britain’s toilets each year. Since launch, Wear ‘Em Out have saved at least 7,733,088 disposable products from being dumped into land waste.
Lauren Derrett, CEO and founder, said: “Against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis, our customers are telling us that they need to reduce costs and making the switch to reusable products is one way of doing this. The outlay might be more expensive initially, but in the long run, the cost per use of just 0.06p speaks for itself.
“The sustainability factor is an added but necessary bonus. One of our key priorities since launch has always been to reduce the amount of menstrual waste that ends up being flushed down the toilet and into the UK’s sewers each year. It can take up to 800 years for a disposable pad or tampon to decompose, but this can be significantly reduced by using reusable products.
“Reusables don’t mean inconvenience or having to spend ages washing them, they can offer comfort, protection and also come in a range of designs with matching accessories. The cost factor, plus the sustainability benefits make reusable pads a win-win and something that many of our customers say they wish they’d tried earlier.”
