Hi there, pleased to meet you. I’m Ruth–the older half of pic&sis. Here’s a bit about me and why I feel passionately about reducing waste and the benefits of using menstrual cups!

I have worked in local government for over 20 years, the majority of that time within the waste sector–in the industry we call ourselves ‘wasties’ (some might say wasters but that’s another story!!). Working in waste is not glamorous but it has a certain appeal: it’s raw, it’s practical and because we all create waste what I do is useful–who hasn’t been to a party or chatting with friends down the pub when the subject turns to the bins or recycling. . . . It’s a subject that can bring out rage, hate and passion akin to that of the latest Harry and Megan saga! I also get to sport a hi vis vest from time to time too.

Over the years the industry has seen significant changes, I remember a time when not only could you put out as many black bags as you liked (yes people you heard me!) you could chuck it all in, the whole kit and caboodle. . . . WITHOUT recycling. . . . we were all living the dream back in the 90s.

In the early 2000s councils started to wake up and realise that the landfilling of waste couldn’t sustain itself and so recycling was born, it emerged in different forms but for most of us it is pretty much the same system 20 years on as it was when it started. Recycling is now something we have become used to doing, it’s a daily chore much like picking up a wet towel, we don’t want to do it (unless you’re me and like rooting around in the bins of friends and family bin shaming them ‘this is in the wrong bin’) but we know deep down we MUST do it. It’s a small bit of effort to make sure we are all playing our part in tackling climate change and taking some responsibility for what we buy.

Recycling, although useful in striving towards a more circular economy, is only really papering over the cracks. . . . we really need to be talking more about waste REDUCTION. For those working in local government this is a monumental mountain to climb, believe me I’ve been to London Energy (energy from waste plant in North London) and seen the monumental scale of the waste that is processed on a daily basis and it’s scary.
In Hertfordshire alone during 20/21 over 513,000 tonnes of waste was collected, with over half being recycled (Source HWP report). Reducing waste is tricky, it’s an ongoing battle, but the tide is starting to turn or at least it is becoming a more fashionable topic of conversation–I and my colleagues have been banging on about it for years, but no one has listened!! David Attenborough has provided a platform for conversations around single-use plastics (not the enemy in my opinion BTW but that’s for another day) and Greta Thunberg is fighting for a less wasteful world in the battle against climate change for the next generation. Realistically while we all still want to upgrade our cars and mobile phones it still feels like any significant behaviour change is a long way off. In the UK alone 70% of food waste comes from homes and 8 meals could be saved each week if we stopped binning food from homes–the task is real but it’s hard. I fully confess, I love to buy new clothes, I have more than I need but still can’t stop myself! It’s all about making small changes where you can.

So, why the picmecup? For everyone lockdown was a weird and wonderful time, for me and the younger half of pic&sis (Sal) we walked and talked most days. One day I got chatting about my job and the stuff I was working on at the time, this led to a conversation about menstrual cups. Sal asked me what it was and after I’d given her the lowdown, she said she was gong try one. She took my advice and bought one, she found it easy and couldn’t believe she’d not come across one before.  From that day on we started discussing the cups more and why they weren’t more mainstream. I’d used one from my early 20s but purely because I’d heard about them as part of my job, at that time I mentioned it to a few of my friends and they started using them as well (Sal must have been off watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer or something!) but until those chats I hadn’t really thought too deeply about it. The chats started to get legs and started to form a real-life business proposition–we thought why not combine my waste knowledge with Sal’s art marketing background to launch a brand of menstrual cup aimed at women like us to make them more mainstream.

We’re not trying to change the world, green shame or preach, we simply want to spread the word of these small but mighty period cups in a fun and playful way. So, what are the benefits of a menstrual cup like the picmecup? Suitable for light, medium and heavy flows, the picmecup menstrual cup is convenient, reusable, economical, environmentally-friendly and made from 100% medical grade silicone with the bonus of creating no waste – so a real period game changer!

Feel free to DM me or email at hello@picandsis.co.uk to find out more about the picmecup menstrual cup or advice about how to manage your wheelie bins. I have a passion for both!

Love Ruth x

Useful websites for finding out more about waste and recycling:
lovefoodhatewaste.com
recyclenow.com
 

 

 

 

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