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Disposal of ladies sanitary products

Disposal of ladies sanitary products

What is the proper way to dispose of a sanitary napkin? Do you know about organic/biodegradable/compostable menstrual pads? Are sanitary napkins 100% compostable? Is it possible to recycle disposable products? In what way should the government manage ladies sanitary products waste?

How sanitary napkins get disposed of today?

We need to examine the methods of disposal of eco friendly sanitary products in detail. One can observe a pattern of behavior depending on where the person lives. In urban areas, women dispose of sanitary napkins in dustbins, which eventually end up in landfills, but in rural areas, women wash napkins and bury them. Additionally, the type of disposal at home versus the place of work/school makes a big difference. In public washrooms, sanitary napkins flush and end up in corners or open areas because of poor infrastructure. Women rarely incinerate soiled sanitary napkins. We should take steps to educate people about how to dispose of sanitary pads properly at home.

Guidelines for sanitary napkins disposal in India

The government’s CPCB has established guidelines for disposing of sanitary waste and outlined the responsibilities of all stakeholders. To dispose of sanitary napkins, follow the instructions outlined below:

1. Incinerator with low costs – Rural setup – Sanitary napkins, preferably without SAP.
2. Installation of an electric incinerator in a rural or urban area
3. An incinerator for bio-waste at a high temperature with central collection and disposal with another biowaste.
4. Acquiring compostable materials for deep burial – A rural setup
5. Composting – Compost site – Use only compostable materials
6. Pit burning – in rural areas

Under the guidelines, you may either incinerate or dispose of waste in landfills. It’s easy to implement both methods, but they have to be done thoroughly on every level. In rural areas, facilities and infrastructure must be more accessible.
Despite sounding ideal, these methods have their downsides as well. As a rule of thumb, incineration causes dangerous emissions of greenhouse gases, while landfilling has a high level of pollution, and plastics don’t break down for several years. So we should either recycle or use eco friendly sanitary products to handle our sanitary napkin waste.

What are some effective sanitary napkin disposal methods?

Using organic cotton sanitary pads or sanitary napkins is a challenge across India since these processes are not widespread, although there are alternatives like recycling and composting. Yet every person can do a few things to help.
Incinerating sanitary napkins in a city is the equivalent of incineration in a hospital. One has to search for and locate a central incineration unit nearby. The method relies on segregating sanitary waste at the individual level, collecting it at the group level, and burning it at the group level.
If one is throwing the used pad away with other garbage in a dustbin, it would be wise to wrap it in a disposable wrapper provided by most pad manufacturers. It is necessary for the hygiene and safety of waste pickers.
According to CPCB, incineration is the best option for rural areas without a segregated waste collection system. Various low-cost incineration methods are available such as manual or electric incineration.

Remembering this, we won’t solve the problem but only tackle it better. A lot of innovation is possible in the future. ladies sanitary products/organic feminine pads should be encouraged in India. Some brands have taken advantage of consumers’ increased awareness of the environment and desire to make conscious purchasing decisions by manufacturers falsely claiming their products are eco friendly sanitary products or confusing them with terms they don’t understand.


Disposal of ladies sanitary products
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Disposal of ladies sanitary products

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