Slate.com’s Green Lantern column recently took a look at birth control to determine the most eco-friendly contraceptive. Although we still don’t know how far the environmental impact of contraception truly reaches, one thing all experts agree on is that protection, any form, is greener than procreation.
Here’s how the most common non-permanent contraception options stack up:
Condoms – As a one-time use product, condoms aren’t exactly the eco-ideal. Slate columnist Nina Shen Rastogi estimates that condoms and wrappers ultimately end up as 2.75 million pounds of trash yearly, although that’s still only .001 percent of the total trash Americans produce each year.
The breakdown on breaking down: Most condoms begin as biodegradable latex, but as Planet Green notes, we still aren’t sure if the additives and lubricants that follow interfere with natural breakdown. Although lambskin condoms are the most biodegradable, they aren’t as effective at preventing STDs as latex, so that option is certainly not for everyone. Polyurethane condoms are completely non-biodegradable, so those with latex allergies and green intentions may want to consider another form of birth control. All things considered, however, condoms are definitely the easiest form of birth control to get your hands on, so compared to an unwanted pregnancy, they're a viably green option.
Whatever kind of condom you choose to use, just be sure to toss it in the trash afterwards, instead of flushing it down the toilet where it can clog pipes or end up in a waterway.
Hormonal Contraceptives – The Pill may seem like a less disposable alternative to condoms ⎯ 28 days of protection in one box! ⎯ but unfortunately hormonal contraceptives (this includes shots, the Patch and the Nuva Ring) also have an impact on the environment. Some of the estrogen that makes these contraceptives effective is inevitably secreted in urine. From there, the hormones find their way into bodies of water, where they have been linked to nearby fish spawning infertile intersex offspring. Not what you want coming to mind next time you’re thinking of sex on the beach. (Note: Rastogi points out that all women also secrete estrogen naturally, so the ideal solution here is better sewage treatment.)
Barrier contraceptives – Diaphragms and cervical caps don’t get as much play in the green debate simply because they don’t see as much action in the real world as disposable methods, and with with fair reason. Although they earn major green points for being reusable, barriers don’t have as high a success rate as a condom or a hormonal contraceptive. Considering the potential consequences of creating another carbon footprint, barrier contraceptives don’t hold enough, um, water, to merit a switch from condoms.
Copper IUD – You’ve probably never even considered the greenest option out there. Rastogi reports that only two percent of contraceptive-using women opt for this clear winner of the green birth control showdown. The copper intra-uterine device isn’t nearly as easy to obtain as a condom, because it must be inserted by a doctor, but once it’s in place, this hormone-free method can last up to 10 years! Not to mention it's 99 percent effective with typical use.
Sorry, guys. We know you care about the environment, too, but the greenest contraceptive is definitely for ladies only. Still, there is some consolation: given the much higher likelihood of people actually bothering to obtaining a condom versus an IUD, condoms are the next most practical choice.
