'Manufacturers are responsible for disposal of sanitary napkins'

Akshay Kumar won thousands of hearts when portraying Laxmikant in Pad Man 2018 a man who creates a machine that can churn out affordable disposable sanitary napkins Kumars flick is not an isolated incident rather it is part of a larger trend Menstrual hygiene products have experienced a boom in India with the demand for pads being particularly highAccording to the National Health Family survey 201516 78 per cent of menstruators in urban areas and 48 per cent of menstruators in rural areasuse padsAshish Jain and Lalita TThere are approximately 336 crore menstruators in India according to an estimate by the Menstrual Hygiene Alliance of India MHAI Research shows that the market is expected to grow further One might be tempted to interpret this as a success story after all India is a country where periods are generally considered to be a polluting occurrence and pads not only provide menstruators with a sense of dignity but act to enhance their mobilityHowever according to Nishant Bangera we need to look at the whole picture Absorbent hygiene products such as diapers pads and tampons are nonbiodegradable because they contain plastic Not only are they harmful to the environment they also adversely impact the health of sanitation workers and waste pickers who come in contact with them said the head of Muse Foundation a Thanebased NGO Pads consist of 90 per cent plastic and can take 500800 years to decompose if thrown into the openNishant BangeraBangera has been working in the field of sustainable menstrual health for the past five years as part of his NGOs initiative A Period of Sharing where they endorse ecofriendly alternatives like cloth pads and menstrual cups He believes that menstrual products should be included in the Ministry of Environment and Forests MoEF Uniform Framework of Extended Producers Responsibility EPR Since the MoEF invited suggestions from stakeholders till July 31 the Muse Foundation mailed them a presentation asking for absorbent hygiene products to be brought under the ambit of EPR EPR refers to an approach to solid waste management where the producers responsibility includes all of the environmental costs associated with a product throughout its lifecycle We have rules in place for the disposal of solid waste plastic waste ewaste and biomedical waste But currently there is no mechanism to deal with sanitary waste which contains bodily fluids and pathogens generated as a part of household waste Hence there is a tremendous need to address its collection and treatment because of its hazardous potential said Ashish Jain the founder director of Indian Pollution Control Association and a member of the core committee of the Central Pollution Control BoardSo what happens to menstrual waste generated at home Most of us dont segregate waste at home Menstrual waste is dumped in the bin along with the rest of the waste They end up at landfills and when they arent incinerated scientifically they emit toxic gases explained Lalita T She works as a consultant for the Stree Mukti Sanghatana an organisation working for the rights of women waste pickersProducers need to actively come up with solutions to deal with menstrual waste They are lax and there is little care about the people from marginalised caste class backgrounds who handle the waste she addedThe National Green Tribunal NGT had issued notices to the Maharashtra government and private companies saying that manufacturers of pads and diapers are violating the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 by not providing pouches for disposing them Nothing came of it Since a handful of companies have monopolised the Indian menstrual products market they need to work in tandem with urban local and municipal bodies to menstrual waste78Percentage of menstruators in urban areas who use pads as per the 201516 National Health Family surveyCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news