Single-use plastic in period products is contributing heavily to environmental pollution, sparking calls for a shift towards reusable eco-friendly alternatives

Like elsewhere in the world, menstrual plastics are seen in India as a bad trade-off between sustainability and hygiene. As the number of women wearing pads grows exponentially across the country, colossal amounts of the consequent plastic waste are worsening environmental pollution.

The union government’s decision to ban single-use plastics from July 1 has thus come as a big relief. The country will phase out plastics that are used in nearly every regular household item such as plastic straws, polythene bags, disposable water bottles, shampoo sachets, etc. This includes the use of plastics in sanitary products.

H-LEADS examines the factors contributing to the overuse of plastic in menstrual hygiene products as well as possible alternatives.

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Rise in global plastic production

The first synthetic plastic was produced in 1907. In 1950, the world produced 2 million tons of plastic and in the subsequent 65 years (until 2015), a cumulative amount of 7.82 billion tons of plastic was produced.

While plastic is a recyclable material, in reality, most plastics and primarily single-use plastics are too labour intensive to recycle and end up being tossed into landfills.

India has contributed nearly 3.5 billion tonnes of plastic waste, according to the annual report of the Central Pollution Control Board for the year 2019-2020 with Maharashtra producing the highest plastic waste.

Sanitary product usage trend in India

It is not possible to isolate the contribution of menstrual products to the amount of plastic waste generated in the country, but every mass-produced form of menstrual product contains a hazardous amount of the devil – single-use plastic. It is found in packaging, tampon applicators, sanitary napkin outer covers, and harmful chemicals like the adhesive used to attach pads and absorbent gels.

But this hasn’t dimmed their appeal, which stems from the ease of disposing them.

The National Family and Health Survey report for the year 2019-2021 reveals that 49 percent of menstruators between the ages 15-24 in India use sanitary napkins and 37.8 percent use cloth as their primary form of sanitary protection. Only 700 people have claimed to be using menstrual cups.

Difficult but not impossible

In recent years, menstrual cups have come back into fashion. These are bell-shaped silicone devices that are inserted into the body to collect the period blood. Their lifespan is up to 10 years and washable and reusable. Similarly, cloth pads can be made by stitching pieces of cloth together. They can also be reused if washed well and dried properly, ideally in the sun.

While the problems with introducing these alternatives in a conservative society like India are many, two towns in Kerala have made astounding leaps in making the switch to sustainable menstrual hygiene practices.

One is Kumbalangi, a town in the Ernakulam district, where, under an initiative called “Avalkayi,” 5000 menstrual cups were distributed among women aged 18 and above. The town is set to become the first sanitary napkin free village.

Similarly at Muhamma, another town, women will receive four cloth pads and one menstrual cup from the gram panchayat for a small fee. In order to facilitate the transition to sustainable menstruation products, 5,000 menstrual cups were provided free of charge as a part of a collaboration with Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in a project named “Muhammodayam”.

Hygienic menstrual practices have yet to become the norm in rural India. Environmental activists are calling for reusable period products to encourage sustainable practices. They also want the involvement of government bodies to ensure proper implementation and make green menstruation possible.