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Single-use period products create a whole lot of waste – but did you know they’re a carbon problem too? Here’s how to do better, every month

If you’re tuned into eco-living media, you’ll know that reusable menstrual products are the ‘woke’ choice  for the Instagram generation, who don’t know a world without period-proof undie ads in their feed.

But those who work at the business end of the menstruation biz know that the vast majority of women who menstruate still rely on disposable pads and tampons.

Tampons are used by 100 million women globally, each using on average 11,000 of them in their lifetime. Research suggests that disposable pads are even more popular, due to a taboo around tampons in some cultures.

What happens to all these disposable sanitary products? We all know they’re a waste problem.  But did you know they’re a climate catastrophe too?

Employers and public places provide feminine hygiene units, also known as sanitary bins, in every womens’ toilet cubicle. Until recently, the only option for business-owners was to have these emptied by specialist companies operating fleets of collection vehicles. With trucks spewing out an average 17kg of carbon emissions for every single 40km round trip, multiplied by trips to empty hundreds of thousands of sanitary bins in businesses all over New Zealand, those carbon emissions quickly add up to a significant sum.

Now, there’s a better choice. The EcoPro Cleaning Company is proud to introduce a revolutionary range of feminine hygiene units for our clients, that can be emptied by our cleaners as often as necessary – meaning no additional vehicle emissions.

For business owners, there are two huge benefits: cutting your costs and your greenhouse gas emissions.

Our sanitary bins save you the cost of a separate managed sanitary waste disposal service, and save all the greenhouse gas emissions of having a truck travel all the way to and from your office to service your units. Plus, our Auckland commercial cleaners will empty and clean your sanitary bins as often as needed, ensuring a hygienic, odour-free bathroom for your staff and visitors.

The EcoPro Cleaning Co was the first commercial cleaning company accredited by Environmental Choice NZ and has been a member of the Sustainable Business Network since 2015. So when we say we’ve never been so excited about our washroom services, that’s really saying something!

Keep it smelling fresh with our new odour-control units

Our new sanitary bin service is not the only new product the EcoPro Cleaning Company is proud to introduce to our clients.

Bathrooms for all genders need to smell fresh and clean – but no one needs the CFCs, VOCs or propellants that accompany aerosol-based odour control units.

Our aerosol-free odour control units are built around a fuel-cell technology used in the pharmaceutical industry to deliver drugs. With no added solvents and no alcohol, the odour-control cartridges contain 100% pure fragrance oil. All 10 odour-control fragrances contain an extremely effective odour neutraliser, plus there are 2 non-fragrant options.

They’re cost-effective, too. Each unit runs for up to 2 years on just 2 AA batteries (make ’em rechargeables) with each fragrance cartridge lasting up to 90 days when set to deliver a mild scent.

Not convinced? An independent study on carbon emissions and energy consumption found these units have a significantly lower carbon footprint than similar products on the market. The cartridges are recyclable too! What are you waiting for?

EcoPro’s waste reduction tips

If you’re a user of single-use period products, we get it. They’re familiar, reliable, pose less risk of toxic shock syndrome and cost less compared to the upfront expense of reusables. But as passionate advocates for waste reduction, we wouldn’t be EcoPro if we didn’t offer you a few tips and waste-reduction facts:

• Reusable period products work out to be much cheaper in the long-term
• This is true even if you buy two menstrual cups, which is recommended (so they can be sterilized between uses).
• Reusable products aren’t just for millennials – heaps of menopausal Gen Xers have discovered the benefits of menstrual cups and period-proof undies for unpredictable
• New Zealand sends 357 million disposable menstrual products to landfill each year. These can take 500 years to decompose

Contact us or phone 0800 326 776 now for a quote, or to find out how our Green Cleaning Services Assessment can identify ways to improve the health of your workplace. Find out more about the services we offer our clients.