Women in Allerdale have been given reusable and plastic-free period care products by a new initiative.
LOVEmyBEACH has distributed 3,000 products to local authorities across the North West for women in need.
Part of the WOOP! (Wipe Out Ocean Plastic) campaign, LOVEmyBEACH in Cumbria has provided kits to local authorities to be distributed to homeless support teams and other people in need. They have also been provided to Good Goddess programme, who will be distributing through food banks across the North West.
Anya Kuliszewski, LOVEmyBEACH officer for Morecambe and Cumbria, said: “The last 18 months has been a struggle for all of us, but there are some of us who are struggling more than others.
“Our work is focused on the environment, but period poverty is also an important issue faced by many women across the region, so we wanted to do something to help.
“Through this campaign and delivering these free, reusable products, we are able to tackle both issues, so it’s a win-win!”
The WOOP! campaign aims to reduce the amount of plastic entering the ocean by encouraging people to use plastic-free and reusable products and to only flush the 3 P’s – pee, poo and paper.
Typically, a woman will use 11,000 period products in her lifetime and spend £1,200.
Some 1.5 billion sanitary items are flushed down the toilet in the UK every year, which can end up in the ocean.
“Many people don’t realise that most period products and wet wipes contain plastic and can find their way to the sea if we flush them. We use billions of these products every year in the UK, which is a lot of plastic,” Anya said.
“By using reusable or plastic-free products, we can save tonnes of plastic from entering the ocean, harming the environment and wildlife. It’s also better for our bodies and our wallets!”
