Cattle resting on a bed of disposed sanitary pads.
The Issue
The occurrence of monthly menstruation experienced by females is not by choice, so they should at least be given options to recycle or reuse sanitary pads instead of direct disposal after usage. A woman might use 17,000 pads in her lifetime. One sanitary pad could take 500 to 800 years to decompose as the plastic used is non-biodegradable and can lead to health and environmental hazards. The linear and wasteful economy has resulted in sanitary pads ending up in landfills, rivers and oceans. In India for instance,121 million females of the 336 million females who encounter monthly menstruation use disposable sanitary napkins/pads. If we take 8 as the number of sanitary pads used by a female each menstrual cycle, over 12.3 billion sanitary pads are generated each year in India, which is a significant environmental footprint. Hence, circular economy is the solution.
Why circular economy? Circular economy perceives beyond the current extractive industrial model as it aims to redefine growth and revolutionize economic activities from harvesting of finite resources and disposing them to recycling and reusing them. Circular economy is underpinned by three principles:
- Design out waste and pollution.
- Keep products and materials in use.
- Regenerate natural systems
Application of Circular economy to sanitary pads.
Urban Areas
Using the first two principles, sanitary pads can be recycled in urban areas. Bins can be designed by manufacturers with specific instructions specifically for recycling of sanitary pads. These bins should be easily accessible in private and public bathrooms. Filled bins are then shipped to special recycling facilities where the materials can be separated and re-introduced into a technical cycle (i.e., plastics are refined and made into new products, while natural materials can be composted and used to grow more cotton), transforming a traditionally wasteful and linear process into a circular one.
Traditional linear economy of sanitary pads
Proposed Circular Economy of sanitary pads.
Rural Areas
In rural areas where transferability, cost and bins are issues, reusable pads can be introduced. The objective should be to provide reusable, cotton feminine hygiene products that reduce plastic waste, while making female hygiene more affordable for low-income groups.
Example: Reusable sanitary pads in Samoa
Therefore, with a world that highly emphasizes on hygiene during this current coronavirus pandemic, its only proper to say, it is time for us to take this opportunity to also promote female hygienic products such as sanitary pads through the circular economy principles and perspectives. Ditch the disposal of used sanitary pads emphasized through the linear economy and empower women and girls to recycle or reuse them. A plastic free environment starts at home, let our sisters and mothers take the lead with circular economy principles as the guide.
By Sharon Inone
For further readings
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/waste/is-green-menstruation-possible–64796