The disposal system is one part of menstruating that isn’t talked about for reasons not known. As a child, I hated menstruation but disposing of my used menstrual towels made the hatred worse.
Why should I worry about how and where to dispose of my sanitary towels? Why should I worry that some people would use the dirt from my body for ritual? Is this a myth or a fact? No one knows, but this is something that every female child dreads, especially those attending a boarding school.
I remember the scandal that broke out when I was in secondary school that the kitchen women were picking up pads for ritual purposes. This created fear in every female student as we were made to believe that once our used pads were taken and used for ritual, our destinies were used and we would become useless. Most students started to wash or keep their pads in order to dispose of them on holidays or on visiting days which resulted in making our dorms and rooms stink so badly and unbearable.
An average Nigerian female child uses menstrual pad as it is believed to be the readily available and cheap option, compared to other means. These pads are made up of three layers produced from synthetic materials( polyacrylate, polyolefin and polyethylene) that take forever to decompose which can contribute to climate changes.
They also have the ability to cause blockage in sewage drains as there are little or no pit latrines around in urban areas and also end up in oceans when sewage systems fail. Due to their design, women and girls are left with 3 options based on their environment;
- Burning: to prevent their pads from being used, and for proper disposal.
- Washing: which is quite irritating.
- Wrapping discreetly in a black nylon.
The most effective method is the burning of pad but this too contribute to environmental problems. Washing also is quite irritating and stressful considering the fact that one would have to separate various layers of the pad. Wrapping, on the other hand, is quite simple but Nigeria lacks an effective waste management system which leads to most of these pads ending up in landfills.
Inadequate menstrual waste management is a public health and environmental issue that affects everyone, regardless of gender or menstruating status. Research indicates that when pads and tampons are flushed down the toilet, they absorb liquid, swell, and cause sewage to back up into living spaces, posing a significant health risk.
Menstrual pads are said to contribute more to global environmental problems due to the depletion of fossil fuel used during production, carbon footprint and the quantity of wet and dry products produced.
The problem of the poor disposal system of menstrual towels can be addressed by leveraging data. Data has the ability to tell stories about our lives, draw insights, save time, and make better decisions.
Furthermore, data has been applied in various areas of menstrual health: tracking apps, in research and education, making policies and creating awareness and have provided valuable insights on these subjects. Moreover, data can be leveraged in the disposal system of menstrual towels to gain insights about effective and friendly environment means of disposal.
Data can be gotten via different channels forms, questionnaires, and social media platforms via hashtags. Social media is a very effective platform for the generation of data as many and versatile variables can be gotten from these various social media platform (Facebook, twitter, Instagram etc.) using challenges.
Data gotten from social media platforms via a challenge can be analysed by data analysts to drive insights, create awareness and proffer solutions to the disposal system of menstrual towels.
The Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey sampled a total of 33,195 women aged 15-49 across the 37 states in Nigeria to better understand how women and girls manage their menstrual hygiene and if they face exclusion from social activities.
At least 41.3 per cent of the women used reusable products while 55.6 per cent used non-reusable products. When measuring the percentage of women who preferred reusable and non-reusable materials across geopolitical zones, 49.6 per cent of women in the North Central used reusable products and 47.3 per cent used non-reusable products.
A total of 97 per cent of the women reported that they used the appropriate materials for menstruation. Appropriate menstruation materials include reusable menstrual products like reusable pads, period underwear and menstrual cups and non-reusable menstrual products like disposable pads and tampons.
There’s also the push for sustainable menstrual waste management, which involves methods and techniques to extend the use of menstrual materials and minimize the amount of waste sent to landfills, rivers, or incinerators. Reusable menstrual products, such as menstrual cups and reusable sanitary napkins, represent a step closer to achieving this goal. These products can be maintained and reused, significantly reducing menstrual waste.
