25-year-old From Pune Invents Machine To Ensure Safe Disposal Of Sanitary Napkins

Pune: A 25-year-old from Pune has invented a machine that can ensure the safe disposal of sanitary napkins. Ajinkya Dahiya, a recent engineering graduate, set up his own startup and has developed a machine called Padcare which helps in the safe disposal of sanitary napkins. The Padcare Lab machine segregates plastic and cellulose drain from used sanitary napkins and makes them available for recycling purposes. The idea struck Mr Dahiya in 2018 and is now catering to several organizations in the city to ensure the safe disposal of sanitary napkins.

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Mr Dahiya said that specially developed dustbins are adjusted in toilets and are equipped to cleanly store used sanitary napkins for up to 45 days.

We install specially developed small dustbins called ‘Sanibins’ in toilets which are equipped to store the used sanitary napkins for 30 to 45 days and makes sure it is disinfected and does not create any smell.

“The sanitary pads are collected from these dustbins on a bi-monthly or monthly basis and then put in Padcare machines which not only segregates its material without affecting the environment but also makes it ready to be used for recycling products,” he said.

According to recent data accessed by Mr Dahiya and his team, about 12 billion used sanitary napkins are generated in India every year out of which 98 per cent are disposed of either landfills or water-bodies, which adversely affect the environment. Using the recycled material from used sanitary napkins, the team has also designed several decorative products that can be used in homes. The team of youngsters aims to make it available to maximum people in the coming year while making safe and environment-friendly sanitary napkin disposal available.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.