Dikhyaa Mohanty 
On June 5, World Environment Day, renowned scientist Soumya Swaminathan published a study on the usage of menstruation cups, a technique for managing menstrual hygiene and minimizing the formation of total non-biodegradable waste from disposable sanitary pads by 98%. Action Research and Training for Health (ARTH) presented the paper, “Why India needs to move beyond sanitary pads,” at a webinar titled “Sustainable Menstrual Hygiene Options.” ARTH and the Population Foundation of India jointly organized the event.
According to the survey, if a woman uses disposable sanitary pads made by a commercial manufacturer throughout her career, she will produce around 14.1 kg of non-biodegradable trash, according to Swaminathan. If she utilizes menstrual cups, on the other hand, she will produce 0.06 kg of non-biodegradable waste. This is an illustration of a win-win intervention that is excellent for the environment, good for health and hygiene, and lowers the creation of non-biodegradable trash overall by 98%.
“Menstrual cups are practical, hygienic, and cost-effective. More and more women need to know about them and myths around their use need to be busted.”
Young leaders discussed their experiences spearheading campaigns to increase access to cloth pads and menstrual hygiene education in their particular communities during the webinar. According to NFHS-5 (2019–21), 77% of women and girls in the 15–24 age range used a sanitary approach to control their menstruation (compared to 89% in urban areas and 72% in rural regions). Menstrual cups have been effectively implemented by ARTH in two Rajasthani districts as part of a documented research, the results of which were presented at the webinar.
The study examines the many menstrual hygiene management techniques now in use and emphasizes the urgent need to switch to reusable, sustainable techniques that are good for both women and the environment. Menstrual cups have the added benefit of extending the length of the menstrual cycle, according to Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India.
But it’s crucial to launch outreach initiatives to convince communities to endorse the usage of menstruation cups. According to the evidence, ladies who switched from locally produced cotton pads to cups were extremely satisfied. Women will have alternatives and may select the approach they like to employ if cups are encouraged along with other options like pads and tampons for managing menstrual hygiene.
