Another good reason to switch to menstrual cups: sanitary napkins are biodegradable but not compostable, chemist says

Sanitary napkins may be the common choice among women for their menstrual hygiene, but menstrual cups are slowly getting noticed, thanks to the many benefits it poses both for women and the environment.

According to Larizze Lee's report on Stand for Truth on Tuesday, menstrual cups are more environmentally friendly than sanitary napkins.

To begin with, sanitary napkins are mostly made with plastic, which takes a lot of time to break down. “It is biodegradable but not compostable meaning, oo made-degrade siya in time but it will take hundred of years kasi plastic," chemist Aldred Justin Rago added.

And then there’s the quantity of napkins a woman on her period uses. Especially on a heavy day, one sanitary napkin is not enough. Consider the amount of plastic that will mean.

Menstrual cups meanwhile can stay inside the body for 12 hours, eliminating the need to consume multiple pads throughout their period. And then there's the fact that menstrual cups can be reused again and again, too.

That’s not mentioning the benefits menstrual cups can give to a woman on her period. A study on the medical journal Lancet Public Health 2019 also discovered that the reusable menstrual cup is effective in preventing leakage and reduces the risk of developing bacterial infection compared to other feminine hygiene products.

Mai Logroño, a user of the menstrual cup, said that aside from the health and environmental benefits, using a menstrual cup is more convenient for her since she doesn't have to change her napkin anymore three times a day.

She said, "All the things I hate about period nawawala because of this...'Yung cup po kasi it's good for twelve hours inside the body so after noon tatanggalin mo siya. You wash it, then re-insert." — Kaela Malig/LA, GMA News