Paresh,

Thank you for raising this important topic. Safe disposal of menstrual waste is a key part of ensuring we are meeting menstruators' health and human rights as we build sanitation infrastructure. 

Biomass Controls and Arundati Muralidharan of MHAi recently published a review of existing menstrual waste incinerators, including recommendations for policy and practice. You can check our work out here - it's open access so you can read if interested. iwaponline.com/washdev/article/14/5/343/...-of-incinerators-for

We have been having ongoing discussions about how to improve menstrual waste disposal globally, and would be interested in talking with you about your experiences. I highly recommend connecting with Arundati as well - she has been working in this space for quite a while and I consider her an expert in this field.

Best,
Alison

Annually 12 billion disposable sanitary napkins are generated in India, the majority of which are not biodegradable. To deal with the waste,  small-scale incinerators are being installed, especially in schools and community facilities. However, regulating such small-scale incinerators has its own challenges. In my understanding, in many ways they are similar to regulating small-scale wastewater treatment facilities. In this article, Dr Richa Singh suggests the following 

• Promote switching to greener menstruation products 
• Establish a fool-proof regime for monitoring of installation and operations of small-scale incinerators 
• promote entrepreneurs working on technologies for eco-friendly ways of sanitary waste disposal and recycling 

What other arrangements do you think are needed to ensure such small treatment units perform well? Some questions that such a way forward raises are:

1. What innovative technologies are currently being developed or utilized for the eco-friendly disposal and recycling of sanitary waste?
2. What specific measures should be included in a regulatory regime to ensure the safe and efficient operation of small-scale incinerators?
3. How can communities and local authorities be involved in monitoring and regulating these incinerators?

Feel free to share examples where the performance of small-scale treatment units has been regulated well.

Regards
paresh