My Cost Vs. Saves series continues, this week I am asking Which Is Greener, Tampons Or Diva Cups?

In this series, I take a look at specific products and compare them based on the financial cost and the cost to the environment. Going green doesn’t have to be expensive. Let’s get a close-up on the savings to your wallet AND the environment by going green!

COST- Tampons
Financial Cost: Price per box of 50 Tampax Pearl is $9.98, which means the price per tampon is 20 cents. If a woman were to use approximately 20 tampons per cycle, then she would spend approximately $48 for 240 tampons in a year.

Environmental Cost: The tampon and string are made of rayon and cotton. Rayon comes from cellulose fibres found in wood pulp, and it needs to be purified from the potential use of pesticides etc. in the wood. To bleach it, an elemental chlorine-free process is used, which also minimizes dioxins. Still, trace amounts of dioxides are found in tampons.

Related: How I Switched To Cloth Pads

Don’t forget about the packaging tampons come in! Tampon applicators and wrappers require a lot of energy and are also single-use, not reusable or recyclable. They are made of natural resources including cellulose, coal, natural gas, salt and crude oil. Tampon applicators will outlive the woman that once used it.

SAVE- Diva Cup
Financial Cost: $39.99 for a Diva Cup, which, depending on the user and maintenance, has a lifespan of 1 year or longer. The diva cup holds 1 oz of blood, which is the approximate equivalent of two high-absorbency tampons.

3 Bonuses:

1-free of chemicals, BPA, latex, plastic and dye. It’s 100% healthcare grade silicone.

2- Made in Canada

3- Silicone can be burned in a fire since it is made of sand/glass.

Total Cost-Save: Tampon use costs approximately $48 annually, plus a ton of waste, whereas a Diva cup will cost approximately $40 annually. By going green, you can save $8 annually, and a TON of waste!

Have you used a diva cup? I’d love to know what you think, tell me in the comments below.

Candice Batista

Candice Batista is an award winning Environmental Journalist and one of Canada’s leading eco advocates. Her career spans national and international media outlets, where she has used her background in environmental studies and media & communications to produce and report on various environmental and climate issues for primarily television and digital audiences including Huffington Post, The Globe & Mail, The Weather Network, CityTV, Rogers Television, The Pet Network, iChannel, and CTV, where she is currently the National Eco Expert for the stations number 1 daytime talk show, The Marilyn Denis Show.