Why Menstruating Women Should Ditch Disposable Sanitary Products For Greener Future

Nearly 12.3 billion or 113,000 tonnes of soiled sanitary napkins are dumped in landfills in India every year, according to a new study titled 'Menstrual Products and their Disposal'.

The study was released by the environmental group Toxics Link.

This is an additional to the already existing plastic pollution in India.

A single commercially available non-organic sanitary pad takes up to 250-800 years to decompose or may even never decompose at all. Each sanitary napkin contains plastic equivalent to nearly four plastic bags.

Sanitary pads are supposed to be wrapped in pouches provided by manufacturers and handed over to waste collectors separately, according to the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

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However, there's no system in place to manage it.

"Per the rules and the manual on MSW, sanitary waste needs to be wrapped securely in the pouches provided by the manufacturer or brand owners and handed over separately to the waste collector to avoid manual handling of such waste. But clearly, there is no implementation of EPR and there is a lack of any initiative from companies to address the issue of menstrual waste," pointed out the study team at Toxics Link.

Since a significant number of women prefer sanitary napkins over other menstrual hygiene products, it results in a huge amount of plastic waste.

Additionally, most women are unaware that commercially available disposable sanitary napkins constitute 90 per cent plastic.

Data on menstrual waste management from the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) shows that 28 per cent of such pads are thrown with routine waste, 28 per cent are thrown in open, 33 per cent are disposed via burial and 15 per cent are burnt openly.

Moreover, there is no proper management or recycling of non-biodegradable waste. What's adding to the crisis is that while there is plastic in sanitary napkins, the packaging of the products also comes in plastic - something that could easily be switched to biodegradable alternatives, such as paper.

Switching to greener alternatives

In wake of the insurmountable plastic crisis, some small measures by menstruating women can contribute to a greener environment.

Organic reusable pads and menstrual cups are some of the environmentally-friendly alternatives.

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The high prices of these products is a deterrent. Around 39 per cent of women throw their sanitary napkins in common household bins after wrapping them, while 57.5 per cent of women have no idea about the menstrual waste stream or the after-effects of disposing of the products.

Deep Bajaj, Co-founder of PeeBuddy and Sirona, says lack of sustainable menstrual hygiene products makes it difficult for women to adopt new options.

His organisation makes portable, disposable, and design patent protected FUD - female urination device, and sustainable menstrual hygiene products.

"There hasn't been much advancement in menstrual hygiene solutions for women. In many places, the only product available to women is sanitary napkins. If you provide pocket-friendly sustainable options to women, they will use them," Bajaj told Indiatimes.

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Bajaj's company makes biodegradable, toxin-free sanitary napkins and menstrual cups, along with several other innovative menstrual hygiene products.

Using cloth is an effective alternative, in addition to being affordable and environment-friendly. Though women have been traditionally using cloth pads, they're gaining momentum again.

There are many small-scale manufacturers that are promoting reusable sanitary cloth pads and creating awareness among women.

Plastic footprint can also be kept down by opting for reusable sanitary pads made out of washable cotton clothes, menstrual cups, tampons without an applicator, sanitary towels, and period underwear that can be used multiple times.