Mumbai generates approximately 520 metric tons of sanitary waste, including sanitary pads and diapers, every day. The disposal of this waste has become a significant challenge for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), as sanitary pads take hundreds of years to decompose. Currently, people discard them along with dry and wet waste, making proper disposal difficult.
To tackle this issue, BMC has formulated a new plan. A senior BMC official stated that implementation will begin soon. Under this plan, BMC will conduct an awareness campaign to educate residents about the proper disposal of sanitary waste. Initially, the initiative will cover 5,000 housing societies in Mumbai. Societies participating in the program will receive a dedicated service for sanitary waste collection. BMC will distribute yellow bags to these societies for the separate collection of sanitary pads and other medical waste. Small vehicles will be deployed to collect this waste separately.
Phase One: 5,000 Societies to Receive Yellow Bags
BMC has appointed an agency to conduct awareness campaigns in housing societies. The agency will encourage residents to dispose of medical waste separately using yellow bags.
Plasma Burning Machines to Be Restarted
Mumbai previously had plasma burning machines installed at several locations to incinerate sanitary pads. However, these machines are currently non-operational. BMC plans to restart them to ensure safe disposal. The collected sanitary waste will be incinerated using these machines.
Environmental Hazards of Sanitary Pads
BMC collects approximately 7,000 metric tons of waste daily and segregates it for proper disposal. However, sanitary pads pose a serious environmental threat. Even when buried in soil, the chemicals in them can harm microorganisms, affecting soil fertility. Most sanitary pads contain glue and super absorbent polymers that take 500 to 800 years to decompose.
Considering these factors, BMC is now focusing on incineration as a sustainable solution for sanitary waste disposal.
