#letstalkpads
- Rupesh
- Nov 6, 2015
- 2 min read
Menstruation is a natural part of the reproductive cycle but it remains a taboo and is rarely talked about. Cultural practices and taboos around menstruation negatively impact the lives of women and girls. One such negative impact is the lack of awareness and accessibility, in some parts of India, to sanitary pads. This often leads to women using unhygienic alternatives such as unsanitized cloth, bark, sand and paper.
However, the question we face today is not so much to do with spreading awareness of safe menstrual hygiene products, leading brands in the area are doing a good job of that; but the growing question we need to start addressing now is: what do we do with the waste disposal pads are creating.
Mainstream menstrual products, especially ones promoted by some of the leading brands selling disposable pads, present a number of threats to the environment. Most pads are made from plastic, wood pulp and super absorbent gel which makes a used sanitary pad non-recyclable and takes an estimated 500-800 years to degrade in a landfill. Not to mention the health hazards it causes for rag pickers and others working in a landfill who come in contact with used pads.
As sanitary pads are being used in more and more Indian households, waste managers are staring at growing mountains of non-biodegradable waste from the pads. All stakeholders, including government schemes, distributing disposable sanitary napkins to girls need to also start addressing waste and disposal challenges associated with disposable pads. Menstrual waste is littering our landscape, clogging drains and fast eating into already-scarce landfill space.
In order to engage and build a community of well-aware citizens, Saathi has taken an initiative to start a series of awareness workshops titled ‘Let’s Talk Pads’. I hope these workshops encourage an exchange of opinions and raise awareness on the prevalent practises of disposing sanitary pads and its impacts on our lives, other’s lives and the environment. Hope, you can join us in this discussion at #letstalkpads and help us spread some awareness.
Feel free to email us at letstalk@saathipads.com!
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