On early mornings in Thiruvananthapuram city, it’s not unusual to find garbage bags filled with diapers and sanitary napkins dumped around waste collection points. Though this sanitary waste is common in households across the country, the mechanism for disposal of these products is nearly nonexistent in Kerala’s capital city, and the story is the same in many other districts of the state. While some residents adopt innovative alternative methods, others turn to environmentally harmful ways to rid themselves of the waste.
The Thiruvananthapuram corporation has noted that neither them nor the agencies assigned by them will pick up diapers or sanitary waste as it can’t dispose of them effectively. This creates a difficult situation for both residents as well as waste collectors. "We don't take diapers or sanitary napkins. But every day there will be a bag full of diapers outside the collection unit. We really don't know what to do with it. People know that we don't accept it so they drop it here at night. Sometimes I used cry taking those used diapers and sanitary napkins scattered all over," Priya, who works at such a collection point in Thiruvananthapuram, says.
While some use private waste collection agencies — which can charge fees around Rs 700 per household — it is also unclear how they dispose of sanitary waste. In some cases, the trash ends up in landfills and water bodies. One staffer of a private agency told TNM that the waste is sometimes burned on the outskirts of the city, a method that is environmentally harmful.
The Central Pollution Control Board has given a set of guidelines under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 on how to manage sanitary waste. The CPCB says low-cost, locally made incinerators should be used in places like schools to deal with a limited number of pads per day and to use these incinerators for pads with high cellulose content. For a bulk amount of pads, setting up of electric incinerators and high intensity one has been recommended. Deep pits or deep burial is only recommended for compostable pads. The guidelines also say that consumers can hand these over as dry waste to authorities who pick waste.
But Thiruvananthapuram district has no incinerators run by the government and plans to install them have failed. "CPCB has recommended incinerators for the disposal of sanitary and diaper waste. Though some private firms have established them, none of the local bodies in Kerala use them. Actually local bodies can establish them at their waste collection centers. They just need some space. Incinerators create only a little amount of ash. It is a scientific way of disposal," Renju R Pillai, a senior consultant at Suchitwa Mission and geotechnical engineer.
Few establishments, apartment complexes and schools run small incinerators in their compounds to deal with their own waste. For those living in individual houses, disposal of this waste is a huge struggle.
"In India, there is no mechanism found to dispose diapers effectively in many places. In cities, they end up in landfills (instead of incinerators), while in other regions, they might be thrown somewhere else. In Thiruvananthapuram, some burn them or put them in unused wells. It remains in the soil for centuries," Shibu K Nair, a social worker and consultant in zero-waste systems and strategies, told TNM.
For those who use disposable diapers, an unmanageable number is often found piled in their waste bin.
"I used around five diapers a day for the baby. I did not know what to do with them. Since we had a backyard, I used to burn them, but they would never burn properly. Half burnt diapers of the last two years are still in my backyard," said Nisha, a resident of Thirumala.
Another young mother, Nikhitha from Kawadiyar, said they were collected by an agency. "Every alternative day, the agency would pick up diapers. We would have two full small bags. We would pay Rs 750 per month. I haven't yet asked where they take it and how they dispose of it," she said.
But without an affordable alternative, some feel that there is no other option available.
A mother from Poojappura said, “Initially I used disposable diapers but after thinking about the trouble with disposing them, I stopped using them at home. I only use them when we travel. And to be honest, I throw them in a barren or abandoned land while travelling.”
For sanitary napkins, women face a similar problem.
"I burn them with other waste but it does not burn completely. It remains in the land for years. We have no other option. I am not comfortable with menstrual cups even though I have tried," said Maya, a resident of Patton in Thiruvananthapuram.
Others have been forced to look for alternative, innovative methods. "I wash them first and then remove the cotton and plastic separately, dry them and burn. We have a belief that period blood shouldn't be thrown here and there," Shaheen of Kochi said.
A similar story exists in other Kerala towns as well, where most see their waste go directly into landfills. Those who have land around the house will partially burn the sanitary waste, while others abandon them in lakes or unused lands.
“Near our colony, there is a piece of land that has some legal issues. So we throw our plastic waste and diapers there,” said Mary from Edapally, Ernakulam.
While some have reduced their use of diapers, others are on a constant search to find ways to dispose of them in an eco-friendly way. Some have also turned to cloth diapers.
"At home, I use a cloth to wipe when my baby urinates on the floor. I started toilet training at five months so she can use the potty too. When we go out, diapers are the only way. But when we come back, I would take out the gel part and use them in my grow bags as they hold water," Ashitha from Thirumala said.
Though gel contents of diapers are said to hold water in soil, this is not always considered environmentally friendly. Diapers are made with dioxin, sodium, polyacrylate, dyes, fragrances, plastics, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene and di-pentene chemicals. As per reports, it would take around 500 years for it to decompose.
Another mother said, "When the baby was born, I used to watch YouTube channels on how to dispose of diapers. Though initially I tried cloth diapers, it was hard as we had to change it often. Moreover, it couldn’t be used during travel. For disposable diapers after use, I would take out its gel content and mix it with soil. I used to burn the cotton part.”
Diapers and sanitary napkins are among the most basic of household waste items, and it’s high time a solution was found for their disposal. Activists say that it must involve a combined effort from authorities as well as consumers.
While some say a reduction in use or a pivot to cloth diapers are currently the only available solutions, these also present new challenges, such as during travel, due to frequent changing or leakages. And though many would say sanitary waste should be picked up as part of door-to-door collection, the lack of transparency around the disposal mechanism is concerning.
According to Ashitha, such a solution would not force people to think about the disposal of their waste. “I feel that we should think of where it goes finally," she said.