Most in India continue to use a sanitary pad during their menstrual cycle, unaware of its ecological impact. The country discards over 12 billion sanitary napkins annually, which land up at landfills, clogs our sewerage system, water bodies and fields, therefore posing colossal environmental risks
The disposal of sanitary pads in India is causing an environmental crisis due to their plastic content and lack of proper waste management. Approximately 121 million Indian women use sanitary napkins, resulting in 12.3 billion napkins and 113,000 tons of waste annually. The scarcity of incinerators and the inadequacy of small-scale incinerators contribute to the problem.
Though some startups offer innovative solutions like turning used pads into paper, most end up in landfills where waste pickers have to manually sort .
Menstrual justice should be at the heart of health and gender equity interventions, write Emily Wilson and colleagues
The menstrual cycle and menstruation are normal, physiological processes. But the experience of menstruation is shaped by social, economic, and structural factors and associated inequalities. These factors pose substantial challenges to accessing information about their bodies, menstrual products, toilets, water, disposal facilities, and health services to women, girls, and other people who menstruate.123 A menstrual justice lens can facilitate action to tackle the inequities that underlie poor menstrual health, bringing about change for menstrual, sexual, and reproductive health, and gender inequality.
“Menstrual injustice” refers to the stigma and discrimination faced by women. The effects are profound across low and middle income countries, but period poverty is also widespread in high income countries. The use of unhygienic products and poor menstrual hygiene
Is cloth a hygienic menstrual product? Why do 50% women still use cloth? What are the other menstrual products? Experts answer all the questions on how best to hygienically manage periods