Cor, it’s been a busy week here on Recycle This – giveaways for washable pads, a Mooncup, Jam Sponges and Fairtrade condoms!

It’s nearly time to bring our women’s & sexual health week to a close though but I had one more “how can I recycle this?” query before we finish: how can I reuse or recycle diaphragms?

Latex rubber diaphragms degrade over time so should be replaced every couple of years. They need replacing even quicker if they come into contact with any oil-based lubricants. Silicone ones last longer (up to 10 years in some cases) but still need replacing eventually.

They also need replacing if the woman’s weight fluctuates up or down by 10lb (4.5 kg), or if she experiences a pregnancy lasting 14 weeks or longer.

Between one thing and another, we’re not talking about the type of waste associated with more disposable forms of contraception but there will still be a lot hitting end-of-life with the easiest option to be dumped into landfill. But is there anything else that can be done with them?

And what about their cases?

For our final giveaway of the week, we’re moving on from sanitary products to condoms – sustainable, fairtrade condoms from French Letter.

Earlier today we started discussing which contraceptive methods are best for the environment but in certain situations, condoms are the only option – they’re the only contraception that protects against STIs.

French Letter condoms are made from latex sourced through FairDeal Trading, paying a Fairtrade premium for latex rubber: we often think about Fairtrade food items but not so much other things. The price premium paid through FairDeal Trading is used not only to pay fairer wages but also to provide a better working environment for those on the rubber plantations and better education opportunities for the workers’ children.

The rubber supply is sustainable too – from plantations certified by the FSC – and unlike most condoms which include milk extracts, they don’t contain any animal products or derivatives so are suitable for use by vegans.

We’ve got two packs of condoms to give away – their Aphrodisiac selection — ooh scented!

As with the washable pads, the Mooncup and the Jam Sponges, if you want to be in with a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment below (doesn’t have to be much – just “hi” will do, or “if I was designed condoms scents, they’d all be banana or sausage…”) before noon (GMT) on Monday 15th March. I’ll pick two winners at random after that.

(Don’t forget to leave your email address in the email address field – it won’t appear on the website but allows me to contact you if you win.)

UPDATE – Monday 15th March 2010

Wow! Loads of responses! Thanks to everyone who entered. Our lucky winners are…

Gary Hughes and Elizabeth Burton. I’ll be in touch with you both soon to get your address.

Thanks again to French Letter for supplying the condoms – and showing us all that Fairtrade doesn’t just apply to things you put in your mouth food. ;)

In honour of International Women’s Day on Monday, we’re having a week of women’s health and sexual health themed posts here on Recycle This – with lots of related giveaways.

It’s great having so many wonderful things to give away – the range of green, reusable sanitary products available these days is amazing — really something for everyone, whether you’re a pad user or want something inside instead.

There is a quite a lot of buzz around menstrual cups – like the Mooncup we’re giving away – at the moment but chatter about menstrual sponges isn’t quite so common – which is a shame because they’re a great natural option and these ones we’ve got to give away? BEST. NAME. EVER.

Jam Sponges are natural, unbleached sea sponges, sustainably harvested from the Mediterranean Ocean and used a bit like tampons – inserted into the vagina, they soak up menstrual fluid before it has a chance to escape into the wild. Unlike tampons though, they’re chemical-free, won’t cause Toxic Shock Syndrome and won’t cause a giant pile of landfill/block sewers. Treated with care, each sponge will last a year and is fully biodegradable so can compost when you’re done with it.

Plus – PLUS – they come with a shiny bag to keep the spare in AND a badge. (Do take the badge off the sponge before inserting ;) )

We’ve got two sets of these fab things to give away – again, they’re courtesy of the lovely Rachael at Moon Times. Just leave a comment below (doesn’t have to be long – “hi” or “jam sponge? hahahaha, that’s fantastic – puntastic!” will do ;) ) before noon (GMT) on Monday 15th March and I’ll pick a winner at random.

I’m happy to ship internationally and remember to leave your email address in the email address field – it won’t be published on the site but let’s me get in touch with you if you win.

UPDATE – Monday 15th 2010

Thanks to everyone who entered. Our lucky winners are…

urban craft and Rachel! I’ll be in touch with you guys soon to get your addresses.

Thanks again to Rachael at Moon Times for providing the sponges – a great green alternative.

In honour of International Women’s Day on Monday, we’re having a week of women’s & sexual health themed posts (and giveaways!!). Check out our older related posts too – such as unused disposable sanitary products or end-of-life menstrual cups.

I thought long and hard about whether to feature this because it’s the type of green action that makes Daily Mail readers exclaim “bloody hippies!!” and pledge to not reduce, reuse or recycle just to annoy us filthy, poor Good-Life-wannabes. But in the end, Cipollina’s comment yesterday convinced me – it’s not for everyone but blood is a cracking fertiliser.

The fluid emptied out from your Mooncup or pink water from rinsing out from your washable sanitary towels is a great source of natural nitrogen – it replenishes overworked soil and feeds the plants. People buy blood meal — the dried & powdered blood from livestock — as a non-synthetic fertiliser but why not cut out the middle man/middle cow? It’s as organic as you are.

There are some potential problems with just pouring it straight on the garden – some blood-borne pathogens can be transferred around and apparently it can attract ants – but one way to minimise the risk of that sort of thing is to put it through a hot compost heap. If you know you have a blood-borne pathogen, you might want to look into the situation with your condition further – although apparently even hepatitis, one of the longest surviving blood-borne pathogens outside the body, only manages about 30 hours before breaking down (shorter if heated/exposed to sunlight).

I found two very interesting discussions on the topic – this one and this one – explaining about different people’s experiences and methods but I wonder if anyone has used it for anything a bit more out of the ordinary…

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

Following on from yesterday’s washable sanitary pad giveaway (there’s still time to enter the draw if you want a shot at them), today we’ve got a Mooncup to give away. More free green stuff – hurrah!

Menstrual cups – silicone cups that are inserted into the vagina to catch menstrual fluid – are all the rage at the moment — and it’s not hard to see why.

Mooncups are made from medical grade silicone and will last for years and years. It’s such a waste saving when you consider the average woman uses around 12,000 disposable sanitary products during her lifetime!

Mooncups are not only good for the environment, they’re better for your body than chemical-packed tampons or plastic coated sanitary pads. They’re great for people with heavy flows (because they collect three times as much fluid as mainstream sanitary products) and also for light ones (because they don’t dry out the vagina’s walls like tampons can, so are easier to insert and remove).

Because they’re worn inside the body, they can be used while swimming and doing other sports too – a fantastic alternative to tampons really.

If you’ve ever wanted to try one, now could be your chance – just leave a comment below (just “hi” or “gimme! gimme!” will do ;) ) before noon (GMT) on Friday 12th March and I’ll use a random number generator to pick someone to win.

(I’ll pass the details of the winner onto Kath at Mooncup to make sure they receive the correct size for their situation/time of life.)

UPDATE – 12pm Friday 12th March 2010:

Entries are now closed and our lucky winner is comment 13 – congratulations Hannah! I’ll pass your details onto the Mooncup people so they can make sure you get the correct size cup.

For the rest of you, don’t forget you can buy your own Mooncup direct from Mooncup or through stockists around the world.

If you want to try something a bit different, there is also still time to enter our Jam Sponge – sponge tampons – giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered and thanks again to Mooncup for donating the prize.