Menstruation is a natural biological process, which manifests in adolescent girls as well as young women. However in countries like India, menstruation has become a cause for girls to drop out of school.
This is because the girls do not know how to handle themselves during periods because of lack of facilities for proper sanitation. This includes lack of means for sanitary napkin disposal.
Girls and their parents must be free of worry about this issue. There is much need for spreading education and awareness about the process of menstruation. Girls must be educated about how to use and dispose their sanitary napkins in a sterile and clean manner.
All must learn how to dispose the sanitary napkins without harming the environment. The disposal of sanitary napkins is a major national and environmental concern since it causes accumulation of many thousand tons of waste in a year and landfills are choking from the hazard.
The general public must know facts about the disposal of sanitary napkins because it causes several problems to the society as well as the world. Disposed napkins are a favourite breeding ground for pathogens and cause the spread of infectious diseases.
Use of Incinerators
Most uneducated people follow abhorrent practices with regard to disposal of sanitary napkins. Such sanitary waste is a big problem as it is non-biodegradable. This waste does not decompose naturally and fast. The pads take 800 to 900 years to decompose even to small pieces.
In India, there is no standardized mode of sanitary waste disposal in current times. Disposed napkins are dumped into waste bins and are scavenged by collectors with their bare hands. The latter are thus exposed to microbes and even contract diseases like diarrhoea and other infections.
The solution to this problem is sanitary napkin incinerators. These machines have been developed with modern technology. Disposed sanitary napkins are inserted into the machine where they will be burnt up into ash. This stops growth of microbes like viruses and bacteria.
The incinerator which is a sanitary napkin destroyeralso protects the environment from dispersal of toxic chemicals in the atmosphere since napkins are heated at a specific temperature. There is also another benefit- the napkins no longer damage the top soil by avoiding their burial in the ground.
Role of Incinerators In Schools
The youth are the strength of the nation. There must be no obstacles in their path to education. But in India, many adolescent girls drop out of school due to the problem of menstruation, mainly because of lack of sanitation facilities.
Girls need to be educated about their periods and how they can lead normal lives with the help of right and proper sanitation facilities. Teachers and parents must guide them at the right time.
For good health, young girls must follow hygienic menstrual habits. They need to follow the habit of changing their pads every 5 hours. These disposed napkins must be fed into the incinerator for creating clean premises.
Modern technology has developed fast, clean and efficient incinerators. The government needs to be proactive in promoting their use in schools and colleges.
