Biodegradable bags for waste: welcome move for ragpickers
Indian Express: In the two months since its launch in October 30, Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP) and Swach Saathi — organisations that work for city’s ragpickers — have sold about 20,000 paper bags meant for disposing of sanitary napkins.
Through these paper bags, ragpickers can identify sanitary napkins and will not have to manually handle the soiled pads. Paper bags are environment friendly and hasten the process of degradation of the sanitary napkins.
“We have set a target of selling one lakh paper bags,” said Lakshmi Narayan, general secretary, KKPKP).
Till now, Swach has manufactured over 60,000 paper bags and the organisation is targeting middle class and upper middle class women who use sanitary napkins. Swach uses old newspapers, thread and glue to make the paper bags. It is biodegradable and can be recycled, she said.
At the moment, sanitary napkins cannot be classified as either dry or wet waste. It is not dry waste and therefore cannot be recycled but when wrapped in paper, most part would be degradable with the exception of the plastic bits. Each paper bag costs Re 1. “Compared to the number of women who use sanitary napkins, we still have a long way to go,” said Narayan.
“We want the companies making the sanitary napkins to make an effort for proper disposal of the pads. Their product is being sold on a large scale, it is their duty to ensure that they are disposed of properly. The plastic cover that these napkins are encased in is not big enough to wrap the soiled napkin, and plastic is not degradable” said Narayan.
KKPKP and Swach have already written to companies like Proctor and Gamble and Johnson and Johnson to urge them to make environmentally-friendly disposal bags for napkins. “The hotline set up by Swach (9765999500) for women to order these paper bags is always ringing. “These bags can be procured from our offices at Karve Road and Bhavani Peth. But our volunteers can home deliver these bags if the order is over 100,” said Neha Govindan, a KKPKP member.
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