Since 400 years, the practice of waste management has been prevalent in almost all of the cultures. There are so many households in developing countries which do not have access to municipal services and facilities. According to Ajibade (2007), “In nature, there is no such thing as waste, even a dead or discarded material from one part of an ecosystem is always used to benefit others.”
India has had a history of waste management in order to strike an ecological balance. But with modern age, there have been massive changes in human transactions with the environment. With the advent of the industrial revolution, things have taken a tragic turn in the area of waste management and disposal. The use of plastic had increased dramatically, and sanitary pads were no exception.
The Issue Of Disposal Of Sanitary Napkins:
Waste management of sanitary napkins is one of the pressing concerns which continues to be a “silent problem“. The stigmas and taboos associated with menstruation and disposal of sanitary napkins and or cloth pads act as a deterrent for lack of conversation on this subject.
As per the data of Menstrual Health Alliance (MHAI), the count of menstruating women who use disposable sanitary pads is 121 million. India produces 9000 tonnes of menstrual waste each year. Disposable sanitary napkins are 90% plastic and taking note of the presence of adhesives, packing and so on; each pad equals four plastic bags.
It is estimated that almost 12 billion pads are disposed of each year. Each pad might take about 500 to 800 years to decompose mainly due to the dominant presence of plastics. In urban areas, women majorly use commercial sanitary napkins which are not considered to be environment friendly.
Generally, waste is bifurcated as wet waste and dry waste. It has to be disposed of accordingly. But no one gives a hoot to the separation of menstrual waste simply because there is no concept of menstrual waste in Indian waste management schema.
Women usually wrap their soiled pads in newspaper and plastic bags and dispose of them along with the domestic waste. No one considers the aftermath of sanitary pad disposal as their headache. The critical task is how to dispose of them in secrecy. This problematic approach needs to be critically examined.
Talking about rural areas, spaces where women are not left untouched by the stigma and taboos, the situation in such cases is aggravated. Firstly, they don’t get proper mediums for disposing of their soiled pads. They settle on burning or burying their menstrual waste in pits where degradation does not occur. This might become a leading cause of land and soil pollution.
Secondly, women who live nearby to water bodies, throw them away in water, thereby contaminating the water bodies, which has a hazardous impact on the water species. Schools, colleges being victims of ignorance don’t keep proper dustbins in toilets due to which girls dispose of their pads in flushes thereupon ending in choking them up.
Solutions:
According to the guidelines laid down by Solid Waste Management (SWM), 2016, it is mandatory for the brand owners and or the manufacturers of the sanitary napkins to provide financial aid for setting up waste management systems for sanitary waste. But nothing of this sort has been implemented as of now.
The viral red dot campaign is an excellent initiative for effective management of sanitary waste. A Jharkhand based campaign in collaboration with United Nations is currently training women successfully on manufacturing and using eco-friendly hygienic pads.
It is advisable to use reusable menstrual cups which can be replaced once a year. Menstrual panties are another workable option. Brands like Thinx and Lunapad have a good name in the market. They are comfortable and easy to use. Cloth pads are a natural alternative to disposable sanitary pads. They need to be washed and then straight away to the laundry. In the end, it is up to the individual to find the right sustainable choices for themselves.