Woman from Bihar makes biodegradable sanitary pads with banana fibre

Richa of Bihar has made biodegradable sanitary pads and brought them to Krishi Mahotsav in Rajasthan's Kota. She has made sanitary pads with banana fibre.

Kota (Rajasthan):Marking a revolution in menstrual hygiene and intimate care, Richa Vatsayan, a resident of Bihar's Patna, took part in Krishi Mahotsav in Rajasthan's Kota and displayed Sanitrust biodegradable sanitary pads. Richa has claimed that it is safe and hygienic for women and also their skin will not be harmed in any way.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Richa claimed, "These pads will not cause any pollution. Normal sanitary pads are made of 95 per cent plastic and do not get destroyed for 300 to 400 years, which is harmful to the soil, but this biodegradable pad will take about six months to decompose. It can also be used as organic manure. Hence, this eco-friendly sanitary pad is a strong alternative to plastic sanitary pads."

"Sanitrust sanitary pads are made from banana fibre. After harvesting, the banana plants were left with no use. We use those plants for making this product. With this, the farmers will also get benefited. The polythene used in Sanitrust packing is also going to decompose as it is made of polylactic acid, which is made from cornstarch," she said.

"The idea came to my mind in 2019 while reading a UNICEF article, which was about menstrual waste. The article mentioned the problems emerging from waste materials. Every year about 1,30,000 tonnes of menstrual waste is generated in our country. Therefore, I made up my mind to work in this field."

Richa said that there is not much awareness among women about biodegradable pads. However, with increasing awareness, the demand for these products is also increasing. She said that 1,000 biodegradable sanitary pads are being made every day. The cost of these sanitary pads is less than the normal sanitary pads.