I wouldn't worry to much.. no one.. in the united states atleast is going to give up their brand loyalty for something called "flushaway"

there are other "environmentally friendly" feminine hygene products such as the diva cup (silicone), which creates no garbage other than the package it comes in and the reciept when you buy it. you just flush the fluids and clean the cup and re use it. and its very comfortable and easy to use. its a canadian brand but there is an american version made of latex.

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Writer's note: We have, in the past, covered many other products in this realm, including Lunapads and Mooncups.
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I would love for there to be more articles about this topic. I think most women don't even think about alternative options. What about cloth pads, Lunapanties or Sea Pearls, just to name a few options? When I think of the amount of chemicals they use on tampons and maxi pads it makes me shudder. No wonder cervical cancer is the leading form of cancer found in women today.

"However, forgetting about the flow of materials through the environment is what got us in this mess in the first place."

Why are you not promoting this, but were promoting the flushable baby diapers just the other week?

I think the only thing leery about the article is the fact it's a free plug for Walmart; a store (and the like of) I wish would just go away.

In developed nations the 'feminine care' markets are mature, and the big makers are fighting each other for share. WIth energy prices eating their margins and growing scarcity of natural gas (the polymeric raw material) the growth markets for personal care products are in places like China and Indonesia. Look at their annual reports and that's what they talk about.

Developing nations don't have landfills; and municipal solid waste accumulates on the land surface where it is scavanged by an underclass or lies around, plugging sewers and filthing the environment. This is precisesly the reason that plastic grocery bags (same polymers) are being banned in so many poor nations. Bangladesh was among the first to react to the sewer plugging caused by abandoned trash bags.

Put all this together and you can see that predetermined forces will make all the products in this category biodegradeable. Its either that or they will be banned and the stock value of the suppliers will be flat. Not much help for those poor people wading around in solid waste. This really does come down to a question of whether western life style components should be exported. Diapers are in the same category.

we need to stop flushing away unused products like the one in the picture.

I have been looking for an option for sometime now
I am not willling to go for cloth paths but I am loking forward a biodegradable option
Once it is here I'll convince all my friends to try them
Paula. Miramar, FL

Me again. I found natracare in drugstore.com
They claim to be 95% biodegradable.
Maybe a good temporary option to regular brands

Been using The Keeper (www.thekeeper.com) for about four years and I'll never go back to ordinary products.

I've switched to a resuable cloth product called Gladrags. To my surprise they are very absorbant and comfortable. I recommend them to any women with sensitivities to chemicals or tampons. I know i will never go back to disposable ones since they me a rash and chemical burn. I'm working up the courage to try the keeper and sea pearls. I also switched my toothpaste to burt's bees and shampoo. It comes in bar form. :) This is the first time in ten years that i've been comfortable by moon time.