Are you someone who practices safe sex in order to
protect yourself and your partner from unwanted pregnancies and
sexually transmitted diseases? Do you see yourself as someone
who is responsible in your sex life, and as a person who thinks
first before doing any actions? Well, you may be very safe when
it comes to your health and you are most probably responsible
with your sexual partner’s well being if you answered yes to
both, but have you ever thought about how the production and
disposal of condoms actually impact the environment? Protecting
yourself from diseases is one thing, but protecting our mother
Earth from getting sick is also just as important, if not more
important.
The first thing that you should be considering is if whether or not you dispose of your condoms by flushing them down after use. This is a practice that people should really stop doing. Aside from contaminating the toilet area, it also gives issues with regards to the disposal of latex. Latex, which is the material used for most condoms, is actually biodegradable as long as it is not in water. So avoid throwing them down the bowl or any other body of water. Other factors may change the characteristics of latex, like spermicide or non water-based lubricants.
Also remember that polyurethane condoms are non-biodegradable, and all condoms used or unused will not be recycled by any recycling center. Lambskin condoms are the most biodegradable, but will only protect from unwanted pregnancies. Lambskin condoms should not be relied on for protection against diseases.
