Disposing used Sanitary Napkins

January 25, 2017 by Akhila 135 Comments

One of the ‘Ewww” things ..

But one of the distinct things in her life.

One of the things which is treated casually.

One of the things contaminating the health and nature.

I donno who invented Sanitary napkins. But definitely it created a great advancement in her life. It helps the women to be sanitized during her period time. It made her lives much easier. It has become a part of her life. But what about the used napkins? How long it could be hygienic..? Used napkins contain pathogens and microorganisms which is very very dangerous if not treated properly.

She uses and throws it in a dustbin or burns it or disposes it somewhere away from her home. She can’t be blamed as there are no other options with her. While we are living in a technologically advanced world, why are there no cost effective inventions to help her in the disposal of used napkins or tampons? After all who is bothered if she is affected with some Toxic shock syndrome with the usage of tampons?

The wrong disposal methods are having a huge impact on our health and environment. Still why is there least attention paid..? Every woman will think at least once before disposing it.  Definitely she is worried on the hands collecting the garbage if thrown in a dustbin.

What happens to these millions of toxic content in the napkins after disposal.. Why the authorities are least bothered on the plastic polymers released into the environment day by day? Definitely they are not fully biodegradable things.

Incineration is another solution. i.e burning under 800 degree C or even higher.  Still what about the harmful gases released via these incinerators or feminine hygiene disposal bin? And moreover do all these incinerators work under this expected high temperature?

I know, these are just open ended questions…..  Still hope for a solution.

What all we can do is just ensure that discarded products are self-contained, thoroughly wrapped in properly fitting biodegradable bags. Thus atleast safeguard the cleaning staff from pathogenic things by minimising the risk of contact with blood stained items.