Menstruation waste harms the life of sewage cleaners.

Menstruation waste management is the ‘silent issue’ of society that has remained unreached for many years. Lack of menstrual waste management often causes harm to mother nature and the life of living beings. A single non-biodegradable sanitary pad takes over 500 to 800 years to decompose because commercial sanitary napkins are primarily plastic. Due to a lack of knowledge about menstrual waste management, women mix the menstrual waste with other household waste, separated by the garbage pickers with bare hands. Hence, the garbage pickers are exposing themselves to various hazardous diseases.

In other cases, women flush out the sanitary napkins in the toilet to avoid embarrassment for other women while using the washroom. As these sanitary napkins are made mostly of plastic, it causes drainage problems, especially during monsoon. The drain blockage issues are usually face by the housing societies, offices, schools, malls, and cinema theaters. To combat the problem, sewage cleaners are hired to clean the blockage. Reports show that due to the disposal of sanitary napkins in toilets, the chambers get jam. Some chambers are eight feet tall, and to remove the blockage, the workers have to get down in the hall by pressing the nose and cleaning them.

Every year more than a thousand workers die in the main hall while cleaning the chambers.

Excess of methane gas produced in the chambers causes the death of sewage cleaners inside chambers while cleaning it. Recently, the same case happened in Panvel when three workers went inside to clean the chambers and didn’t come out; then the contractor decided to get inside, even though he didn’t come out for a long time. Because of the excessive production of methane gas in the chambers, the four died by tumbling there. 

How to combat the situation?

The only way to ensure proper menstrual waste management is through educating women regarding the steps towards menstrual waste management and by installing sanitary napkin smokeless incinerators. The benefit of educating women regarding menstrual waste management will help them to understand the consequences of throwing the hygienic napkins in open spaces and flushing the sanitary napkins in the toilets. Installation of sanitary napkins incinerators will allow women to dispose of the sanitary napkins safely and eco-friendly. It will also flush out the idea of flushing the used sanitary napkins in the toilets that causes drain blockages. 

From where to get the machines?

Stree Sanman is an organization that is making endless efforts to end period poverty and encourage women to be period proud. Stree Sanman manufactures Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine to ensure easy accessibility of sanitary napkins to women during periods and Sanitary Napkin Smokeless Incinerators for eco-friendly and harmless disposal of soiled sanitary napkins and menstrual waste. Recently, Stree Sanman has installed its Sanitary Napkin Smokeless Incinerators in Mogoditshane Senior Secondary School of Botswana, Africa. 

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