As mentioned in a previous blog post, periods are an issue relating to wealth. You may have heard the term ‘Period Poverty’ and how that even in the UK, a supposedly wealthy country, thousands of girls and women cannot afford sanitary products. However, an issue that is raising in awareness in recent years is the waste side of periods - the contribution of sanitary products to landfill. Period products of course have to be disposed of in a safe, hygienic way, however where they end up is the same as the plastic straws and plastic bags that in the UK, many of us have begun to despise.
Through the government creating new policies and businesses striving to be leaders of change, the waste we create as individuals and as a society is a topic prominent in the news. However, with half of the population throwing away approximately 11,000 disposable pads and/or tampons in a lifetime, this industry has a huge potential to help women become more environmentally friendly by changing their products and values. In the end, much like we have little control over the thousands of pounds we spend on period products in a lifetime, we also have little control of our environmental impact. The majority of period products contain plastic and are packaged in plastic. In fact, most pads are around 90% plastic. Plastic is not biodegradable and will remain in the environment for up to 1000 years, whether this be in landfill or in the water system. In 2010, a UK beach clean found an average of 23 sanitary pads and 9 tampon applicators per kilometre of coastline. Scale this up to the total 12,429km of UK coastline and the issue becomes clearer. Scale this up globally and the amount of plastic pollution becomes unfathomable. India in particular is a country that has issues with waste, and as the base for our project, it is important we help the women of India, without adding to the plastic pollution. Due to rapid urbanisation, Indian cities do not have the infrastructure to collect, recycle or dispose of the 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste generated annually. To prevent our period products becoming part of this issue, we are designing the pads to be biodegradable, therefore allowing the women to take power over their periods, without compromising their local environment. Although this issue is a great one, times seems to be changing and the future is starting to look greener. Some of these changes can be seen on the shelves of our supermarkets with more options of cardboard applicators, biodegradable pads and period pants. More women are also choosing to use reusable menstrual cups, reducing their period plastic waste almost completely. This topic is building momentum with the BBC reporting an increase of Google searches for ‘menstrual cups’ increasing fourfold between 2010 and 2018, and retailers reporting sales growing at double digit rates over the last 10 years. The environmental debate will only increase in importance going into the future as our population continues to increase and our landfills simultaneously fill up. It it therefore important that we reduce our footprint in all areas of life that we can, and we should not let periods stop us from doing so. Written by Racheal Brangan References: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45667020 https://www.organicup.com/blog/powerful-environmental-reasons-to-switch-to-a-menstrual-cup/ https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/waste/india-s-challenges-in-waste-management-56753
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Menstrual hygiene is a big issue in Seelampur. According to Aakar Innovations, 90% of women in India do not use sanitary pads. Instead women have to use leaves, ash and cloth. Reasons for this include a lack of education, limited access to products and the stigmatisation of menstruation. As a result of this, a quarter of teenage girls drop out of school when they begin menstruating. This prevents women from reaching their potential and pursuing a career. The lack of education and products also directly impacts women’s health and Urinary Tract Infections are common. This not only has impacts on the women’s life, but also the health of the children she may have in the future.
Menstrual hygiene is also an issue of wealth. According to the Teen Age Girls Report, by the Naandi Foundation, 42.6% of girls from poorer families used hygienic methods for menstruation, compared to 71.6% of girls from wealthier backgrounds. This is simply a matter of being able to afford sanitary towels. Through producing affordable products, Project Sakhee hopes to narrow this gap. However, something that affects girls in India, regardless of wealth is the stigma surrounding periods that derive from sacred texts written centuries ago. In many regions, menstruation is believed to be dirty and impure and often women are prevented from entering kitchens and prayer rooms as they are believed to ‘contaminate’ the space. This attitude towards menstruation prevents girls from speaking out and asking questions. It also prevents mothers from talking to their daughters and this is partly why a study in 2016 on behalf of UNICEF found that 70% of the participants felt unprepared for their first period. Project Sakhee aims to tackle this issue by helping to establish workshops that can educate women and girls in an environment free from judgement. In 2018, girls should not be prevented from becoming the leaders of tomorrow by a natural process that occurs in half of the world’s population. By solving this issue, girls can remain in education and as said by Queen Rania of Jordan, an advocate for girls’ education, “when you educate a girl, you empower a nation.” Written by Racheal Brangan References: https://www.indiaspend.com/half-of-indian-teenage-girls-underweight-anaemic-without-sanitary-menstrual-protection/ https://www.self.com/story/indias-period-shaming-must-end Project Sakhee is a student led initiative by ENACTUS Kent that has the aim of empowering women in Seelampur, India by developing a biodegradable and affordable sanitary pad that the local women can produce themselves. This will not only help the women involved in production by providing them with an income, but it will also help the wider community by improving menstrual health and spreading awareness.
Seelampur is one of three sub districts of Delhi, India’s capital territory. It is a predominately rural area that was established in 1993. Today Seelampur plays a big role in the recycling of E-waste. Almost a quarter of India’s three million tonnes of e-waste generated every year is dumped there. Women, men and children work in this industry. They work from 9am to 6pm for a daily income of 300Rs, equivalent to £3.30, whilst enduring toxic fumes. Despite the involvement of women in the E-waste industry, this area of work is dominated by men. In fact, Seelampur is the district with the least number of working women in Delhi, a city that has the least number of working women in all of metropolitan India. According to the 2011 census, only 5% of women in Seelampur had done a day’s paid work that year. The Project Sakhee social enterprise would help some of these women by providing them with a safe environment to work in whilst they earn a steady income and develop their business skills. By allowing women to support themselves, they are given increased freedom as their reliance on their husband or family is reduced. Written by Racheal Brangan References: https://factordaily.com/seelampur-indias-digital-underbelly/ https://thewire.in/economy/photo-story-the-e-waste-workers-of-delhi https://www.rhsupplies.org/fileadmin/uploads/rhsc/Uploads/Other/Aakar_-_Empowering_Women___Girls_Through_Menstrual_Hygiene_Soluons.pdf https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2013/08/delhis-seelampur-has-the-least-number-of-working-women-in-the-capital-heres-why/ |
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