Saturday, April 9, 2011

Why Birth Control does nothing to control its waste


So, i guess this may be kind of an uncomfortable topic, but I believe I should address it anyway, if briefly. I, like many women I know, take birth control pills, for many reasons, not only having to do with not getting pregnant. Birth control has been proven to reduce ovarian cysts that can lead to cancer, as well as reduce daily irritations such as acne and mood irregularities. Basically, birth control is a very good thing. But NOT for trash-free dorms like Juniper.
First of all, let's consider the packaging the whole set comes in: It's like tin foil, but with a little plasticky substance mixed in, definitely not recyclable.
Then, you open up that package, and find the actual pills. They are contained, individually, in a dispenser made of tinfoil, plastic and cardboard covered in even more plastic. (yes, I took it apart to figure out all these components).
You also get a stupid plastic holder for them that NO ONE ever uses, and a manual! A manual, that's right. In every single package of birth control pills (a prescription sends you three at a time), there is a manual. This manual, while useful for first time users, is unnecessary to be given out in EVERY single package! Seriously! I've never even looked at it once, and yet for every package of pills i open, i have to throw away this giant manual. You may ask why I don't recycle it, and believe me, I WOULD if I could! But the paper has a waxy film ALL over it!
In essence, I cannot give up my birth control pills for this trash-free experiment, for many obvious reasons, but when actually examining all of the crap that comes with them, it makes me feel really guilty. The pills are about half the size of a pencil-tip eraser, and yet they require me to throw away SO much.

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