SANITARY NAPKINS

Upon reading the concerns of so many people about the problem of sanitary pad disposal, I decided to do some fact- finding.

I first took the used sanitary pads of whisper company and put them for composting. In 2 month’s time all material had completely composted, except the thin plastic lining. When I shared this experience, some people raised mighty objections of ‘infection’, ‘bio hazard’. But I do not agree, menstrual pads from a healthy woman are equivalent to non- vegetarian food- there is no hazard in composting it.  I then proceeded to try out other brands marketed as ‘chemical free’ or ‘ environment friendly’. It was a traumatic 6 months for me. Some pads (sakhi) are small and not properly shaped and caused good deal of discomfort. Another brand (Anandi) had to be ordered by special courier from New Mumbai. The issue with this was the adhesive which remained after washing in strong soap, using hot water, rubbing with acetone.. etc So the panties had to be retired.

In my adolescence, I had plenty of opportunity to use cloth pads that had to be washed. I did not need to experiment that. The pads are good if you are near home or have access to a place where frequent change is possible- or if you are on some pills that minimise the flow. Next washing them uses up enormous quantities of water and leaves quite a smell in the bathroom. Some clot invariably gets left behind some bucket or something and the next user yells at you. The soiled pads need to be stored somewhere (away from rats, ants and pets) because you cannot be washing several times a day. There are significant cultural barriers to handling of pads and your bai will refuse to put them out to dry or even to fold them up after drying; and where is the dignity in hiring someone to do your dirty work?. Plus where will you hang them to dry? All these pose real world problems to women with high intensity life like myself where I manage my patients, my children and rest of the family and have an active social life. So reusable cloth pads like our ancestors is not a practical option.

Tampons seem fine. But again, I am scared to recommend them because in India the access to toilets is not assured and I don’t want anyone to be at risk of severe infection. I could not bring myself to use the menstrual cup. I think, it is a weird and intrusive concept- that’s my personal view. But logically this seems a good environment friendly solution to those who can get used to the idea.

Burning the napkins or incinerating them- if the source is a healthy woman- according to me this is an over- reaction and causes unnecessary pollution. Plus a useless residue is created which is a mixture of burnt plastic and cotton- what to do with that? This is not a practical zero waste solution according to me.

Menstrual hygiene is a big challenge in India. Around 50pc women (and girls) have no access or knowledge about menstrual pads. So actually the number of women using disposable pads is very very low. Lack of menstrual hygiene affects women’s health and quality of life- most women are rendered dysfunctional due to culture- based ostracism and discomfort of not using a proper pad. 50pc of the population are women, out of which only a little more than half will be in the menstruating age- group. Out of which again the use of sanitary pads is less than 40pc. I think the environment impact due to sanitary pads is an exaggerated issue and misogynistic one too. Consider the health and quality of life benefit and compare it with the number of men owning vehicles and the impact of that- I say stop baiting women’s necessary item on the pretext of environmentalism.

About this topic I will say that women should use menstrual pads- WHISPER turned out to be the best bet for me personally. I have no qualms recommending it- gives the best balance of comfort and disposability. Just that whisper people should not give plastic pouches- instead wax lined paper pouches for disposal should be provided. Women should avoid using the plastic pouches provided and wrap the soiled napkin in two layers of newspaper and never flush it down the toilet. The napkin can then degrade wherever it reaches and adding it to your home compost bin should not be a problem at all. At the end of the composting cycle, you will have to sieve the compost to remove the plastic lining that all the pads usually have and these can be sent for recycling.

I exhort readers to comment on this blog. I have written in much detail and apologise for any offence caused....but there was no other option.