Ajinkya Dahiya, a 25-year-old man from Pune has invented a machine for the safe disposal of sanitary napkins.
The machine, called Padcare, is capable of separating cellulose drain and plastic from used napkins and makes them available for recycling.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Dahiya said, they have installed specially developed dustbins called Sanibins that can store used sanitary napkins for 30-45 days and disinfect them. These pads are then collected from the dustbins on a monthly or bi-monthly basis and then put into the Padcare machines.
Data accessed by Dahiya and his team reveals that out of 12 billion used sanitary napkins generated in India each year, 98% ends up in landfills or water bodies. The team even designed household decorative items with the recycled material.