Antonia Chitty writes about the alternatives to disposable sanpro. You can find the Mooncup and cloth pads in the THM Shop, and if you want to avoid the chemicals in your sanpro, but aren't ready to make the change to reusables, why not take a look at the Natracare range.

If you have been to the coast recently, you won't be surprised to hear that beach debris is increasing, and more than12 pads, two tampon applicators, 1 tampon and 5 backing strips were found per kilometre of beach in the UK by Beachwatch 2003. Each woman uses about 12,000 tampons or towels in their lifetime - just imagine that washing up onto your favourite beach. The increasing amount of plastic in sanpro means that they just don't rot down either.

Every month, women across the UK are using and flushing thousands of sanitary towels and tampons. According to environmental charity WEN, we buy more than three billion disposable sanpro items every year in the UK and they're filling up our landfill sites, and polluting our air when incinerated, as well as being flushed out to sea.

An increasing number of women are taking what may seem a radical approach to cutting this environmental pollution. Washable cloth pads are making a comeback. Disposable sanpro has only been around for the last hundred years, but the more environmentally friendly solution of washable rags has been brought bang up-to-date by innovative manufacturers across the globe. Using modern materials, washable cloth pads are, to quote mum to two Sadie, "Comfy, funky AND environmentally friendly!" And if you don’t fancy washing cloth pads each month, or are a confirmed tampon user, the Mooncup or Keeper may be for you. Read on to find out more.

Swapping to cloth
Like many mums, Sadie started using cloth nappies when her kids were small, and decided that cloth menstrual pads were the next logical step. She says, "My son Aiden wore cloth nappies and always looked more comfy in them than in disposables on the occasions he had them on. I bought some pads to try, and haven't used disposable towels or tampons since. "

Another cloth user, Catherine, says, "I've got some "mummy nappies" as my daughter calls them! They are fabulous. I've been using them for a couple of years now and occasionally use a disposable pad but they seem so uncomfortable now after using cloth ones - all plasticy and sweaty! My husband thought it was a bit weird at first but now he is all in favour of anything that saves money!"

Allergy alert
Barry Fowler is managing director of Natural-woman. One of very few men in the eco-menstrual business, Barry set up his company to meet the needs of women who wanted natural and more environmentally friendly sanpro. He says, "The fact that I find most surprising is that industry and medical estimates suggest that 5% of women are allergic to manmade fibres and allergy problems manifest as non specific vaginitis and vulva pain are swept under the carpet."

Mum to eight Kerry, agrees that cloth pads can be healthier than disposables. "I started using cloth shortly after my period returned after having Patrick. For several years I'd been suffering with soreness and itching. I bought different brands of pads to see if they were causing the problem. The final straw came when I had a second bout of thrush during a period, which was total hell. In desperation I reached for one of Patrick's fleece topped nappy boosters and it was bliss. To my amazement it was comfortable, and it didn't leak like the paper ones did. No wonder babies love cloth nappies! After that I started buying cloth pads for me too."

Alternative to tampons
The Mooncup or Keeper are another environmentally friendly alternative. You can insert these egg-cup shaped silicone or rubber cups inside you to collect your menstrual blood. One user, another Kerry, says, "I never have the worries about leakage as I used to with tampons, and I never have to worry that I have enough tampons in my bag when I go out." You can find more details on Mooncups here.

Practicalities
Cloth pads are just as reliable as disposable ones. They use multiple layers of cloth to absorb the blood. Some have a changeable liner or booster, to provide extra absorbency on heavy flow days. Some pads use a waterproof bottom layer, but most rely on super absorbent materials like hemp to stop leakage. Most cloth pads are held in place with wings, secured with resin or metal snaps. If you're interested in buying pads, you can shop around to choose the type that will suit you best.

Most women change their cloth pads as often as they would disposables. If you're at home you can pop them into an ice cream box of cold water to soak, or if you're out, popper them together inside out and pop in a small make up bag - some manufacturers also sell these. If you're using cloth nappies too, you can rinse the pads then sling them in to the washing machine together. If not, wash them with your towels, or do them all together after two or three days.

To work out how many pads you need, you can count up the disposables you use over the duration of your period. If, for example, you use 20 pads over 5 days, and would want to wash the pads half way through, you should buy about 10 to start off.

Sewing or shopping
The best place to buy cloth pads is online, and you can find a listing of suppliers of both cloth pads and menstrual cups in the THM Directory.

If you're a keen sewer, there are patterns available online to show you how to sew your own pads. The Women's Environmental Network, has both patterns and downloadable fact sheets on their website. If you're concerned about the practicalities of sewing your own, have a look here.

So, next time you're on the beach with the kids, complaining about the foul waste that you can see, remember that there's something that you can do to make a difference, and clean up the environment.