Menstruation is a natural process for women. But this natural process is becoming a problem for both women and environment due to lack of resources and awareness. The biggest problem is that even today women use unsafe things during menstruation like old clothes, ashes, grass etc. Due to which, women are at risk of getting serious diseases. According to a survey by National Family Health, only 58% of girls or women use safe means, mostly sanitary napkins.
But now the second problem is the proper management of these sanitary napkins. Do you know that every year in India about 12.3 billion sanitary napkins reach the environment and pollute it? According to Menstrual Health Alliance India, it takes 500 to 800 years for a sanitary napkin to be disposed of. Because non-biodegradable plastic is used in making them, which is harmful to both health and environment.
However, nowadays, a sustainable alternative to sanitary napkins and tampons, menstrual cups are also available in the market. But due to low awareness about it, its use is still limited to most of the big cities. In such a situation, it is necessary to consider the proper management of sanitary napkins. That’s why today many people are making different types of machines for its disposal. But most of the electric machines are available in the market.
Keeping this in mind, Dr. Madhurita Gupta of Mumbai along with her brother, Rupam Gupta has created a special sanitary napkin disposal machine. Whose name is- ‘Solar Lajja’. Both the sister-brothers are running a startup named Arnav Greentech Innovations Pvt Ltd.
This machine runs on solar power instead of electricity and can be used in community areas as well as in homes. Along with sanitary napkins, tampons, diapers and other biomedical waste can also be disposed of in an eco-friendly manner with this machine. Talking to The Better India, he told about his innovation.
Made Solar Lajja
Dr. Madhurita is a veterinarian by profession and also a founding member of MYVETS WILDLIFE TRUST. She told that she has been working for the animals for the last several years. The aim of his organization is the conservation of wildlife in India. For this, he does different projects in different forest areas.
He said, “Today amidst the changing circumstances, it is becoming very difficult to strike a balance between humans and wildlife. Every day we keep getting news from the forest areas about how people are hunting wild animals in the tribal areas situated close to the forests.
In the year 2017, Dr. Madhurita and her team were working on this issue in Rajasthan. During their survey they came to know that most of the people injured or killed by wild animals are women. “And most of the women are attacked by wild animals when they go to the forests to dispose of used pads or cotton and jute clothes during or after menstruation. This was the problem of almost all the communities living near the forests. Because women have no other way but to bury these things in the soil. Due to the issue of shyness associated with menstruation, women mostly go in the morning before sunrise or at night and accidents happen to them,” he said.
Madhurita decided that she would have to find a solution to this problem so that the women would not have to go to the forests to dispose of pads or clothes etc. He was advised by many people that he should get sanitary napkin disposal machine. But electricity is also a problem in many places. So, they wanted a solution that would not have to depend on means like electricity or fuel, and then they planned to use solar energy.
He discussed this topic with his team and some experts that why not make a solar powered machine.
What is the specialty of ‘Solar Lajja’
Dr. Madhurita says that this machine is very easy to use and it requires up to 25% less electricity than other machines. In a day, this machine disposes of 200 pads and converts them into ash. Apart from pads, it also disposes of cotton and jute clothes. This ash can be used for horticulture in the fields or in the gardens. The temperature of this machine can go up to 800 °C.
He says that this machine is a ‘one time investment’. Once installed, there is no additional cost to use this machine. Apart from sanitary pads, children’s diapers and other biomedical waste can also be disposed of. It can be applied in community places as well as private company, school-college.
“Even today more than 60% of girls are unable to change pads on time due to lack of facilities to dispose of pads in schools. Which is not good for their health. Due to improper management of pads, they are not only a threat to the landfill but also the water source and the animals,” said Rupam.
A ‘pad dispensing’ unit can also be installed with this machine. “We are providing sanitary napkins to women through our own organization in many rural areas. At the same time, they are also being made aware that they should not use the same cloth again and again and take care of their own health,” he added.
It takes only a minute for the pad to be disposed of in this machine and it works on automatic mode. Therefore it can be installed in schools, colleges, hospitals, offices or community places. Also, clients can get it customized as per their requirement. So far, Madhurita and her team have installed 30 ‘Solar Lajja’ units, which include areas in Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh.
Received many honors
With each of her units, Madhurita is causing a change in the lives of thousands of women. There is a demand for his machine in other countries also. Along with bringing change for women, she is also fulfilling her responsibility towards the environment. He says that each unit of ‘Solar Lajja’ saves about 48000 watts of electricity, due to which it has also been successful in reducing its carbon footprint.
Madhurita and Rupam also built a solar powered ‘Covi-Burn’ machine to dispose of the waste generated during Covid such as PPE kits, masks etc. He has given this machine to places like Jaipur, Gangtok.
Rupam says that the sooner we adopt clean energy, the better it is for the future. In view of the increasing carbon footprint and decreasing natural resources, it is wise to adopt the energy of sun and wind more and more. Also, waste management is very important. In order to avoid polluting the environment.
Madhurita has installed ‘Solar Lajja’ machines in many slum areas of IIT-BHU, MGM Jaipur, Pratap Society, Jaipur and Navi Mumbai. Apart from this, he is also working on a project with the Sikkim government. For this machine, he has received STRAIT OF MAGELLAN AWARD FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION by the Chilean government in 2021. It was also included in the Top 10 Healthcare Innovations in 2019 in INSPRENEUER 3.0 held in Singapore. It has also been included in the Top 10 Innovations by Maharashtra State Innovation Society.
By the way, the advice of experts is to use a menstrual cup during menstruation. But if you use sanitary napkins now, then try to manage them properly after use.
If you are associated with any organization and want to get ‘Solar Lajja’ installed at your place, then you can email madhurita.gupta@myvetstrust.org.
Editing – G N Jha
Also read: Rs. 300 junk cycle replaced in solar cycle, it does not cost even a penny to run
If you’ve been inspired by this story, or want to share any of your experiences with us, write to us at hindi@thebetterindia.com, or Facebook & Twitter Twitter Contact on
