Karad, a small city in Maharashtra’s Satara district, has emerged as a role model in tackling sanitary waste management, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said on Wednesday.
With 100% segregation, collection, and processing of sanitary and biomedical waste, Karad has set a benchmark for effective and sustainable waste management. Ensuring the proper disposal of sanitary waste—such as sanitary napkins, diapers, and other hygiene products—has helped prevent health risks, environmental harm, and social stigma in Karad.
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In Karad, about 300 to 350 kg of sanitary waste is collected daily from hospitals, clinics, households, and other facilities. One of the key steps taken by the administration was to break the taboo surrounding sanitary waste. This involved raising awareness and educating the community about the importance of proper sanitary waste management and the potential health risks associated with improper disposal.
The city has adopted innovative strategies to educate residents on waste segregation via workshops, community outreach programs, and public service announcements, which played a key role in promoting responsible waste segregation and disposal.
The Karad Municipal Council (KMC) collaborated with female residents, forming Groups that played a pivotal role in raising awareness on proper sanitary waste disposal and segregation in the residential areas.
To facilitate this, separate red bins have been installed in public toilets across the city, making it easier for women to dispose of sanitary waste responsibly.
Schools are also encouraged to install sanitary pad vending machines and disposal systems. Additionally, the city’s IEC team promotes hygienic disposal practices, such as wrapping used sanitary pads in paper before discarding them.
This initiative has led many schools to install incinerators, ensuring proper processing of sanitary waste, with the remaining residue sent to the biomedical waste treatment plant.
The Garbage Collection Vehicle in the city carries a separate bin for the collection of sanitary waste. To ensure proper disposal, sanitation staff collect this waste separately, allowing only suitable materials to be incinerated.
The sorted waste is then processed at a high-temperature incinerator, operated by the Karad Hospital Association, where it is burned at high temperatures. During incineration, organic materials are oxidized, generating heat, gas, and ash. To minimize the environmental impact, the gases produced are filtered to remove harmful substances.
The facility’s emissions are continuously monitored to meet air quality standards, with real-time data linked to the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) monitoring system for regulatory oversight.
The improved sanitary waste management system in Karad City has had a significant positive impact on both public health and environmental sustainability.