Dharti Sakhi- Sustainable Menstrual Health and Hygiene

The issue of sanitary waste caused by single-use menstrual products is causing a threat to our natural resources. Based on our conservative estimates, each menstruator generates about 100kgs of sanitary waste in their lifetime (considering a 30-year menstrual period). A recent study has found that 113,000 tonnes (11.3 crore kgs) of waste from sanitary napkins reaches Indian landfills each year.

Understanding the issue has led us to research and develop a comprehensive module to address the sustainable aspect of menstrual health and hygiene. We aim to cover the topic through a socio-biological lens along with addressing the health and environmental implications of our choices. We will also provide sustainable menstrual kits to menstruators (adolescent girls and women and/or transgenders) from low-income communities. In 2022, we aim to train more than 1,000 menstruators and provide kits to at least 1,000 menstruators from low-income communities. We have trained 465 women so far and distributed cloth pads to 100 women from low-income communities.

With 1000 menstruators trained, we shall be able to prevent around 3300 kgs of sanitary waste from reaching the landfill in a period of 1 year. Even if we account for the waste generated via a shift to cloth pads, the net reduction in waste prevented from getting into landfills will be 2700kgs in 1 year. For a 3-year usage period of cloth pads, we can prevent 8100kgs from getting into landfills.

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