A single tampon can clog the drain, while disposable sanitary pads are full of microbeads and other plastic material. This makes management of sanitary waste, including sanitary pads, diapers and other medical waste, unsustainable: that is thrust of the volunteer-led national campaign, Green the Red.
To push for sustainable menstruation, the Green the Red team will soon launch a ‘Cup and Cloth’ campaign. Malini Parmar from Green the Red team told The Hindu that the objective was to push people to give up using disposable sanitary products and switch to eco-friendly and sustainable products such as silicon cups and reusable cloth pads.
The team has also decided to send a ‘Sustainable Menstruation Kit’ to the office of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urge the government to replace disposable sanitary pads with reusable menstrual hygiene products in all its schemes and programmes. “We want to create awareness among people that by using these eco-friendly products, they can have a ‘trash-free, rash-free and cash-free’ period,” said Ms. Parmar, and added that the team had been conducting sessions on sustainable menstruation across the country, by promoting the use of menstrual cups and reusable cloth pads.
With the kit, the team hopes to show that the campaign will help add value to the Swachh Bharat mission and the Make in India movement. “Most of the [sustainable] hygiene products are made in India. If the government supports this, local groups can take to manufacturing reusable cloth pads, which also helps in creating employment,” she said.
Ultimately, the team hopes to engage with the government and influence changes at the policy level for promotion of sustainable menstrual hygiene options only.
