Return to the towels and cloth diapers?

En promedio, una mujer durante su menstruación utiliza cerca de cuatro toallas femeninas desechables o tampones al día. Si tiene periodos de cuatro días mensualmente, significa que por año desecha 192 artículos de estos.

The fertile life of a woman lasts for approximately 40 years.If we take this into account, each woman will use between 10.000 and 13.000 towels or tampons in your life, which means that it will generate more than 60 kg.of garbage, the equivalent of 100.000 tons of waste.

The problem lies that female towels last between 500 and 800 years to degrade and in the case of tampons, it takes about 6 months without counting the wrapping that is usually made of plastic.Both have their final destination once their work is fulfilled: landfills, water courses and even the oceans.

However, there is another negative factor.The compounds of these intimate products affect health, one of them is dioxy, a chemist related to cancer cases, endometriosis and the decrease in the immune system.

A study by the Women's for the Earth organization determined that these products contain pesticides, dyes and dioxins, which are classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as persistent organic pollutants (toxic substances with slow physical, chemical and microbiological degradation thatThey accumulate in human fabrics).

Due to their plastic base and moisture they accumulate, these products can cause discomfort and irritations, in addition to favor the proliferation of bacteria and fungi.

Marianela Mata suffered from allergies for several years until she decided to look for alternatives to disposable products to end her problem and help the environment.

As he found no option in the country, he began to make his own fabric towels.It went through a test and error process until it reached the ideal prototype.

For two years it has offered its products: towels, protectors, maternal protectors and waterproof bags through the FOEMI brand, the family business of the Marianela sisters and María José Mata Retana and her mother Esther Retana.

Como una alternativa

María José Mata thought at the beginning that it would not be a good idea, however through the company it has realized that this industry is a need for many women.

Indicates that using cotton and fabric towels entails several benefits, including saving money, reducing the environmental footprint and improving health."Something super good is that there is a palette of up to 30 prints, it is a very good aspect for those who are starting with menstruation, help in a certain way to stop receiving that menstruation is something bad or something we should be ashamed, Mata said.

It also ensures that another advantages is body knowledge.“One is knowing his flow, he knows his body, one already knows if he has changes that can mean a review with the gynecologist, unlike the disposable towels, which are only thrown away and we do not realize all these aspects that alert usIf something is wrong, ”said the entrepreneur.

Cuidados

The care that these artisanal products require is simple.The Mata Retana sisters recommend that once the towels are used, let stand in a container with water at room or cold temperature and preferably the day they were used, with or without soap, as the woman prefers.

The next day the only thing to do is scrub it by hand or place it in the washing machine.Drying can be outdoors or dryer.

“Our advice is to take advantage of the water we are using when we bathe, then as we settle, we put it on the floor and she alone is cleaning.Also due to the theme of the environment it is important that neutral or soaps that are degradable be used.We do not recommend chlorine, softener or hot water, because being cotton is more sensitive, ”said María José.

Its products are made of cotton and absorbent layers and liquid repellent.Instead of adhesives they use plastic brooches.The protectors offer them in three sizes: thread, regular and large.In the case of towels, they vary according to the flow: light, moderate, abundant and nocturnal.

¿Y los pañales?

Many entrepreneurs in the country have opted for options such as this in order to improve the environmental situation, encourage savings and create new healthy trends for health.

Adriana Morales is one of them, Eco Baby co-founded in order for citizens to know more about the benefits of using cloth diapers, an unusual industry in the country.

“Customers have loved cloth diapers, seeing that it is the modern version that provides many more benefits on the old version.They love the variety of designs and advantages;They themselves recommend their acquaintances to use them, ”said Morales.

According to the businesswoman, these diapers are made to wash in washing machine, they have no special care, only that blue or softener soap should not be used."It is just one more batch of clothes to wash, but there is no greater complication with it," he said.

Morales indicated that they work for sizes: of premature-recreational, the unitalla that fit from 3.5 kilos to 2 or 3 years and also offer large size for children of very thick contexture or for older children who still do not control thesphincter at night.

“The parents who do not yet dare, would tell them that they have many benefits, will have approximate savings of ¢ 1.200.000 by baby.In addition, together with their children they can already contribute their ecological footprint, there are more than 300 years that take diapers to degrade, ”concluded the entrepreneur.

Approximately 1 to 2% of the waste that ends in the world landfills are disposable diapers.