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Everyday swaps

Reusable period products

Disposable pads and tampon applicators contain plastic and are marked as such under the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive; cups, pants and washable pads last years.

Swap out
Disposable pads and applicator tampons
Swap in
Menstrual cup, period underwear or washable pads
Impact
3 / 5
Cost
2 / 3
Effort
2 / 3
Grams of plastic avoided per person per year
500
Break-even
A A$40 cup lasts up to 10 years against A$100 or more a year on disposables
Watch out for
Period pants are usually polyester blends; needs washing access; a cup takes a few cycles to get used to.

Try a menstrual cup, period underwear or washable cloth pads, or a mix. Many people combine a cup on heavy days with period pants at night.

Disposable pads have a plastic backing and wrapper and many tampons come with plastic applicators; roughly 2 g of plastic per item and 240 items a year is about 500 g. The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive requires plastic-containing sanitary towels and tampons to carry a marking because they are so often flushed and found on beaches.

The catch: a cup or pants cost more upfront and need washing facilities; cups take a few cycles to get used to, and pants are usually part synthetic, so they are a durability swap rather than a plastic-free one.

Page updated 22 September 2026. How we check sources