Dear all!

i am looking for design examples for simple low cost sanitary napkin incinerators/burners, preferable for schools or for public toilets.

such as in this picture

or here:



I am also looking forward if anyone can share some more practical experiences as well, either in this forum or directly by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


WSSCC is planning to compile a data file on MHM. And while screening companies for sanitary pads vendor and incinerators (mostly based in India), i tend to prefer the low cost option i because schools can eventually built it themselves.

Ina,

probably the brick-built solution is cheaper than the metal version.

The pictured incinerator first reminded me of the re:char biochar kiln:

www.re-char.com/buy/
www.fastcompany.com/1805296/jason-arambu...echar-biochar-africa

..which sells for USD 290 in the US, but is also locally made in Kenya in a trial for 25-30 USD. They also just received a grant from Gates Foundation and I would love to see this re:char kiln combined with JaniPads ( www.janipad.com/ ) and/or MakaPads ( www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=88359 ) to keep it organic and plastic-free.

Else, I believe that most of these locally made normal incinerators in Africa just aren't well documented by local entrepreneurs (due to IPRs, manpower, etc.), which is why most of the stuff we can find online is from Asia or the US.

Kenya:
From my "bible", The Wilderness Guardian
ISBN 9966498265








And then this case study from UNICEF in Tamil Nadu:
ddws.gov.in/sites/upload_files/ddws/file..._study_tamilnadu.pdf
(with a contact)


Other recommended resources for documented low-cost, low-tech approaches:
www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/cd3wd/index.htm
www.instructables.com
practicalaction.org/browse-and-download-answers

Uhm, I believe you already checked all of these and also googled for it.
The 2nd pic you posted is from Gachoire Girl's High School in Kagwe, Kenya. Maybe Christian R. can organize a technical drawing of that incinerator?

Hi Juergen

Thanks for all the links and materials - especially the Tamil Nadu one , which i did not find previously (..?...). That was exactly what i was looking for!



jajaja, the wilderness Guardian - can come in handy in Eschborn and i will definately check the "instructables" during weekend for 7layer cookies

INA

Karibu!
I also just realized that there's some good material when I google for "Maka Pads".

E.g. www.questafrica.org/Mkmusaazi.aspx

So, i have been looking into small incinerators for Sanitary Pads and even used the previous mentioned design in designing one here in Naivasha, Kenya. It defiantly gets VERY hot. With only 25ksh worth of charcoal (1/2 a small bucket) we are trying to burn about 50L of compressed waste. Attached is a picture of the current incinerator. The idea is to now attach it to a women's toilet so they will have direct access of disposing sanitary pads without anyone seeing or knowing. Then once a month, when it is full, a small amount of charcoal or wood will be used to hopefully properly burn the sanitary pads.

my question out there is how do we KNOW that the waste is burning properly?

Dear inajurga,

I had recently help on a similar incinerator question,

from Toby Gould, Technical Support Services Manager, of RedR, London, www.redr.org.uk (people and skills for disaster relief), Technical Support Service: (Free for all humanitarian workers, for details see our website or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.),

maybe it is helpful to you too:

...
I have no experience of the design of the medical facilities, but there has been a lot of development work on incinerators for small medical facilities that can be accessed here: www.mw-incinerator.info/en/101_welcome.html

The de Montfort incinerator is considered very good for small to medium sized health facilities and Jim Pickens, who designed it at de Montfort University would be willing to answer questions if necessary.

Regards,
Detlef SCHWAGER

Dear Juergen and Colleagues,
Thanks for your posts.

SEI's Global Review of Sanitation System Trends and Interactions with Menstrual Management Practice states: "Incineration releases dioxins and other noxious gases, causing respiratory illnesses, air pollution, and contributing to climate change."

A colleague recently shared the below article:
ecofemme.org/2015/04/breaking-the-silenc...trual-hygiene-waste/

Has the subject of the dangers of burning non reusable MHM material been discussed on Susana?
Best regards,
John

Dear John,

To answer your question:

Has the subject of the dangers of burning non reusable MHM material been discussed on Susana?

I think the answer is no.

I am guessing that when the menstrual hygiene products contain plastics then the gases produced from burning would not be good for air quality!
It could be that people are caught between a rock and a hardstone though if they have no other way of disposal?

Certainly not ideal.

Perhaps the people on this forum who have experiences with sanitary pad burners could say something about this issue?

It's another reason in favor of menstrual cups which are reused for years and not burned ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cup ).

Regards,
Elisabeth

Or reusable cotton cloth... What were the women using before the disposables and how did they process it? Make sure that is do-able in this current situation.

Hi All,

The issue with incinerating disposable pads, is that if the pads contain chlorine or fluorine, this will give off toxic fumes when burned. As far as I know pads have trace amount of chlorine to bleach them.

The best way of doing this would be to have a catalytic converter attached to the exhaust of your incinerator, this should deal with the toxic fumes.

Cheers
Fausto

Dear Susannah

There is meeting on right now about designing reusable sanitary pads.

It consists of representatives from 3 partner organisations involved in MHM projects here in Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea.

Cheers
Esther

Thank you for the notification Esther!