Implementing a Free Menstrual Product Program

October 27, 2019

Throughout 2018 and 2019, 5 states in America passed legislation requiring middle schools and high schools to offer freely accessible menstrual products in the bathrooms. New York was the first state to require all schools to provide free tampons and pads in school bathrooms. California, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Tennessee quickly followed the lead. Nova Scotia and London, Ontario in Canada have both considered allocating funds to implement these basic necessities.

With more movement in the industry, there has become an increase in demand for bulk menstrual products and menstrual product dispensers that do not operate with coins, but rather dispense products for free.

Both the product and the dispensers come at a cost to schools, thus the decision on which brand and dispenser to use is a critical choice.

We thought it would be beneficial to lay out all of the information in one place to do the comparison.

BULK TAMPON OPTIONS

	AUNT FLOW®	TAMPAX/NATURELLE
Ingredients	100% organic cotton	Rayon, Synthetics, Bleached w/Chlorine
Biodegradable	Yes	Yes
Insertion	Smooth-Tip for Easy Insertion	“Muffin Top” resulting in uncomfortable insertion
Applicator	Cardboard	Cardboard
Absorbency	Regular	Regular
Certified, Woman-Owned	YES	NO
Compatible	ESTROGEN Aunt Flow® Dispenser	Hospeco Dispenser
Donations	For every 10 tampons sold, Aunt Flow donates one back to a menstruator in need	No reported donations per order placed

FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS

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BULK SANITARY PAD OPTIONS

	AUNT FLOW®	GUARD PADS
Ingredients	100% organic cotton	Rayon, Synthetics, Bleached w/Chlorine
Waste	Thin envelope	Thin envelope, cardboard box
Thickness	Thin	Very Thick
Wings	YES	NO
Rewetting (Can you feel your menstrual fluid?)	NO	YES
Certified, Woman-Owned	YES	NO
Compatible	ESTROGEN Aunt Flow® Dispenser	Hospeco Dispenser
Donations	For every 10 tampons sold, Aunt Flow donates one back to a menstruator in need	No reported donations per order placed

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FREE-VEND MENSTRUAL PRODUCT DISPENSERS

	ESTROGEN Aunt Flow® Dispenser	Converting a Coin Machine	Hospeco Evogen
Capacity	50 tampons / 50 pads	20 tampons / 12 pads	22 tampons / 16 pads
Reloading Time	Less than 20 seconds using Cartridges	60+ seconds, reload piece-by-piece	60+ seconds, reload piece-by-piece
Time Delay to Reduce Overuse	Mechanical	None	Electrical
Needs Batteries?	NO	NO	YES
Warranty?	Lifetime Warranty	None	None
Product Compatibility	Aunt Flow® Patent-Pending Cartridges	Tampax/Naturelle + Guard	Tampax/Naturelle + Guard
Installation	Included	Not Included	Not Included
General Cost	$300	$25 piece + labor	$300-$800 + labor