MANGALURU: While disposal of menstrual waste has become a growing problem across India, a gram panchayat in Dakshina Kannada district is leading the way in managing menstrual waste at the local level.
GPs with a population of over 3,000, including 1,789 women, are implementing solid waste interventions to effectively segregate and identify menstrual waste during routine waste collection.
Kilpady GP ‘Rutu’, a campaign dedicated to menstrual health and hygiene has been launched under Clean India Mission, on Monday. Under this campaign, they have distributed pink boxes that serve as dustbins in schools, anganwadis and panchayat buildings, so that women can throw sanitary pads wrapped in a paper in these boxes. Then the napkin is collected and burned.
Providing details about the initiative, Kilpadi Panchayat Development Officer full moon told TOI: This is probably the first time in the state, that a GP has started an initiative of this nature under Swachh Grama Health India Campaign. As part of solid and liquid resource management (SLRM), we are encouraging people to pipe compost for kitchen waste, and in some areas, door-to-door collection of wet waste has been introduced. “Sanitary waste disposal has been a challenge. Many sanitary pads are manufactured using materials like super-absorbent polymers, non-biodegradable plastics, glues, etc., which can take around 500 years to decompose. Even in urban areas, improper disposal methods and non-segregation of menstrual waste from household waste lead to poor working conditions, and the risk of spreading infectious diseases to workers. Since then solid waste management Rules (2016) treat menstrual waste as sanitary waste under solid waste, as a first step, we have put around six pink boxes to dispose of it, and once the awareness on the issue rises, we will install the boxes expect the numbers to increase,” he said.
The panchayat has already acquired an incinerator that burns napkins and turns them into ashes. The installed incinerator has the capacity to burn about 60 pads at a time in 20 minutes. “The response has been good so far. We are encouraging Anganwadis and ASHA and SHG members to spread awareness about safe disposal of sanitary pads.
GPs with a population of over 3,000, including 1,789 women, are implementing solid waste interventions to effectively segregate and identify menstrual waste during routine waste collection.
Kilpady GP ‘Rutu’, a campaign dedicated to menstrual health and hygiene has been launched under Clean India Mission, on Monday. Under this campaign, they have distributed pink boxes that serve as dustbins in schools, anganwadis and panchayat buildings, so that women can throw sanitary pads wrapped in a paper in these boxes. Then the napkin is collected and burned.
Providing details about the initiative, Kilpadi Panchayat Development Officer full moon told TOI: This is probably the first time in the state, that a GP has started an initiative of this nature under Swachh Grama Health India Campaign. As part of solid and liquid resource management (SLRM), we are encouraging people to pipe compost for kitchen waste, and in some areas, door-to-door collection of wet waste has been introduced. “Sanitary waste disposal has been a challenge. Many sanitary pads are manufactured using materials like super-absorbent polymers, non-biodegradable plastics, glues, etc., which can take around 500 years to decompose. Even in urban areas, improper disposal methods and non-segregation of menstrual waste from household waste lead to poor working conditions, and the risk of spreading infectious diseases to workers. Since then solid waste management Rules (2016) treat menstrual waste as sanitary waste under solid waste, as a first step, we have put around six pink boxes to dispose of it, and once the awareness on the issue rises, we will install the boxes expect the numbers to increase,” he said.
The panchayat has already acquired an incinerator that burns napkins and turns them into ashes. The installed incinerator has the capacity to burn about 60 pads at a time in 20 minutes. “The response has been good so far. We are encouraging Anganwadis and ASHA and SHG members to spread awareness about safe disposal of sanitary pads.
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