Always Plus Carry and Dispose Pouches for menstrual products
- Made:
- 1986 in United States
Always Plus Carry and Dispose Pouches for menstrual products, Procter & Gamble, USA, 1986
As disposable period products exploded in popularity during the twentieth century, the question of how and where to discard them became ever more pressing.
Options included flushing them down the toilet or taking them home with you to throw in your own bin. The growth of the female workforce prompted new requirements, however, and sanitary bins began to appear in public bathrooms from the 1950s onwards.
Disposing of used menstrual products has always been tied to notions of discretion and hygiene, exactly the problem disposable pouches like these have been marketed to solve.
This example was produced in 1986, around the same time as the toxic shock syndrome (TSS) crisis was first being talked about. The rare but life-threatening condition, caused by bacterial infection associated with tampon use, sparked public debate about period waste, and the politicised nature of blood during the HIV/AIDS epidemic demanded extra precautions for its disposal. Pouches like these sought to alleviate fears and ensure ‘biohazard waste’ was carefully disposed of.
Details
- Category:
- Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Contraception
- Object Number:
- 2025-2057
- Materials:
- plastic (unidentified)
- type:
- menstrual product
