Inventor, Founder and CEO of MaskIT, has a period life hack that is the best innovation for menstruation since the tampon. Ramsey’s game changing product offers glove-like protection during the removal of a menstrual item, inverts to self contain, and then permanently seals shut. Plant-based, this is the revolutionary product that every menstruator and facility manager should know about.
Menstruation – half the world’s population is intimately familiar with it, yet we’ve waited years for the market to come up with an optimal solution for tampon and pad disposal. Enter Shallan Ramsey, a mindful entrepreneur who has burst into this industry with intent to disrupt. Her invention – MaskIT – blows the lid off a time-old stigma while providing menstruators with a private and eco-friendly solution for tampon and pad disposal.
Periods and the ensuing disposal of tampons and pads are a normal part of life. So why has there been a stagnation of innovation until now? “This is a conversation that many people are uncomfortable with,” Ramsey says. A lack of willingness to foster meaningful dialogue around period item disposal has stifled innovation and limited our options when it comes time to toss tampons and pads.
This problem isn’t unique to disposal. The tampon itself was taboo the minute it hit the market. As recently as the 50s, tampons were still kept behind the pharmacy counter in unmarked brown bags. These connotations around menstruation carry forth today – now entrepreneurs like Ramsey are doing something about it. “Our culture has made menstruation into something shameful,” the Oregon-based inventor says. “It should have never been that way.”
MaskIT is a single-use disposal bag. It fits like a glove, giving users contact-free protection during menstrual item removal. Then, easily inverts to self-contain and permanently seals shut.
Ramsey’s invention, a mindful solution for menstruators, sets a bold example for any entrepreneur trying to make an environmental impact: MaskIT is made with premium plant-based biofilm that can be consumed by microorganisms that naturally occur in our soils.
Achieving true sustainability without sacrificing product quality was no small undertaking. The product needed to be plant-based, while being reliably leak proof and block odor on a molecular level. Six months of research went into finding the ideal biofilm. “20 billion tampons and pads go to US landfills every year,” Ramsey says. “I wouldn’t invent the product unless I could figure out a sustainable way to do it.”
MaskIT works in partnership with OneTreePlanted, planting a tree for every product sold.
MaskIT is manufactured in a US-based facility. The disposal bags are delivered to customers in packaging made from 100% post consumer paper in a facility run entirely on renewable energy. Even the MaskIT logo, a butterfly symbolizing change and growth, is printed on the box with soy-based ink.
Ramsey’s invention is a no-brainer – to menstruators who have been stuck in situations where flushing pads and tampons down the toilet is the lesser of two evils, facility directors trying to reduce plumbing problems, custodians who empty menstrual item receptacles, or anyone who has had to chase after a pet after it raided the bathroom garbage bin.
More than a product of convenience, Ramsey has designed MaskIT to address a public health concern. Improper menstrual item disposal leaves people at risk for exposure to bloodborne pathogens, such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and MRSA. Ramsey noticed a gap: we know the risks, yet we ignore that menstruators are often left with only toilet paper to cover blood-saturated items.
“As a mother of three daughters,” Ramsey says. “I want to do everything I can to protect their health and safety.” MaskIT’s contact-free disposal system takes exposure risks out of the equation, resulting in cleaner and more sanitary public restrooms.
The hush-hush attitude surrounding anything menstrual-related has kept us from connecting the dots between menstrual item disposal and the risks of bloodborne pathogens. “We’re ignoring health and safety issues to save ourselves discomfort,” says Ramsey. She often speaks at conferences on the topic of menstrual health hygiene and MaskIT runs educational initiatives that empower young girls on the topic of safe tampon and pad disposal.
MaskIT is available for consumer purchase or full-scale facility use, giving menstruators intentional and proactive means to dispose of their items.
People aren’t being vindictive when they flush menstrual items down the toilet. “If a receptacle is overfilled, or has visible blood on it, nobody wants to touch it,” Ramsey says. “So we are forced to go with the alternative.”
Providing people a better option yields great results: “It’s been a huge improvement for facilities,” Ramsey says. “They’re saving money that used to be spent on plumbing, while providing a superior customer experience.”
With the chance to bring convenience and dignity to menstruators, help the environment, improve the experience of custodial staff, and cut down on lofty restroom maintenance costs, it’s no wonder that Ramsey’s disposal solution has been adopted by airports, universities, hospitals and several of the most well known Fortune 500 companies in the United States.
The fact that we haven’t seen a product like this until Shallan Ramsey broke into the entrepreneurial scene, now that’s insanity.
Those interested in MaskIT’s home or facilities solutions can explore Ramsey’s full range of inventions on the MaskIT website.
