UKH

MSPs back plans for free sanitary products

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-51618103

I can see the rationale for this. I do hope that the legislators will take into consideration the environmental impact of doing this (I am thinking along the lines of the days of free carrier bags and maybe taking/using more bags than you needed and the resulting litter problems, and the days of charging for carrier bags i.e. the effects of giving something away for free vs charging for it).   Am I right to be concerned about the impact on landfill and sewers?  Are there environmentally sound viable materials or alternatives (I'm vaguely aware of something called a Moon Cup).

I realise this is a contentious matter, and I'm a bloke so what would I know (and accept I might be getting lots of thumbs down).  I'm interested in what (the normally well informed) readership thinks about free sanitary products proposals in Scotland and the environmental angle.

I don't suppose them being free is going to increase usage beyond what is needed? Or to put it another way, thinking about money while using sanitary towels wouldn't be a situation I'd want to be in. 

I'd hope that having them freely and easily available might actually stop the hoarding mentality that comes from not knowing if you will be able to afford them in future.  

Personally I'm not struggling for money right now so I'd probably buy my own if I needed them and leave the free ones for those who are worse off than me.  

As for the environment, I don't see it changing that much.  I know there is funding for alternatives available such as mooncups and washable pads.  But not everyone wants to use them, and for those in poverty its probably not a great option if they are running the washing machine more often for pads, or if there is nowhere private to wash a mooncup and boil it once in a while.  Mooncups are.great if you can use them but they are a bit tricky and not everyone is physically suitable for using them.  

Quite a number of places near me already do supply them for free, and I notice that they are sometimes opened and thrown about the place by (I hope!) kids. I hope as it becomes more common the kids will wise up and leave them alone as they get used to seeing them

Have the manufacturers (Always, etc) raised a fuss about this? I’d be very curious to know what they think. 

The govt. suddenly starting to give away the  product that you sell is going to cause some urgent board room discussions, surely. Is the govt giving away branded items or are they going to be a plain ‘own brand’ version?

The companies are involved I believe and get money from the scheme.