Through 2020, the Zero Waste Period initiative has brought 697 reusable menstrual products to campus in the quantity of 650 menstrual cups and 46 reusable pads. Out of the 650 menstrual cups, 400 were distributed to Pitt students. The other 250 menstrual cups were donated to Pitt Pantry. By allowing individuals to use a reusable cup or pad for at least 10 years, each product diverts an average of 3,000 tampon-equivalents of waste per person from landfill . The conversation surrounding these menstrual cups and reusable pads was one that arrived on campus out of an acknowledgement of the intersection between basic needs, menstrual rights, period poverty, and waste diversion.
The originators of this project joined several components of sustainability and focused on the bottom line that on a college campus, there are a number of people who menstruate who lack easy access to products, who want a product to reduce their environmental impact, or just want to destigmatize menstruation and open the conversation. The project began as a pilot program in 2019, and developed into a full-fledged program in 2020; both the pilot and the expansion were spearheaded by Pitt Planned Parenthood Club (PPPC) and the Student Office of Sustainability (SOOS).
Now, dispensers that are installed and stocked by the University have been installed in over twenty locations across campus, and a survey regarding menstruation and the way that it impacts our campus community, specifically regarding people with non-cisgender identities, to garner more information on how the University community and this coalition can make informed decisions regarding dispenser installation to ensure the most safe and effective environment exists on campus. This specific project advances our campus toward one of equity across gender and income, recognizing the limiting factors that students on college campuses experience, especially regarding hygiene and menstruation, and guarantees that the University takes responsibility toward creating an inclusive environment that alleviates the possible stress or anxiety surrounding menstruation, destigmatizing the way that people on this campus view and understand the basic right to period products.
The personal roles taken in this project include advocating for funding for the project through Student Government Board and Pitt Green Fund, networking and benchmarking different product suppliers to find the most sustainable, effective products to provide for students, creating interest lists and surveys by tabling and advertising, and organizing the kick-off event once the purchase was made. The kick-off event, “Zero Waste Period,” was led by Pitt Planned Parenthood Club’s student executive board and the Student Office of Sustainability by introducing a stigma-free discussion of menstruation, addressing menstrual and gender equity, followed by a demonstration of how to use the products, along with best practices for hygiene, storage, and general maintenance.
The Zero Waste Period Initiative is a 2020 Pitt Sustainability Award Winner (Student-Led Group).