Society in India still being largely conservative and patriarchal in nature, menstrual hygiene management has still not been planned well and women face issues in disposing of sanitary pads in an appropriate manner. Almost 71% of women use non - biodegradable sanitary napkins during periods and regular sanitary napkins are generally disposed of with mixed waste or in a dry waste bin category of door-to-door waste collection. This again poses problems to sanitation staff while segregating waste as it constitutes 90% of plastics that harm the environment. So, a switch to a biodegradable option is the need for an hour. Biodegradable pads have been proven to be a safer alternative as these pads are plastic free, the risk of any health hazard narrows down as it is safer and comfortable for use and there is no adverse effect on the environment as well.

Thus, the Women Development Cell of Sahyog College, Thane has installed a “Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine" in association with Sakhi Sanitary Napkins to provide basic sanitation facilities to female students. Sakhi sanitary napkins are made by self-help groups of women and they are 100 percent biodegradable, good for skin, and also good for the environment. Project Sakhi provides livelihood to more than 3000 women’s as the core raw material comes from plant-based fibers. By making such a pioneering move, Sahyog Pratishthan’s Sahyog College has expressed a strong commitment towards its journey to provide the best hygiene care to the students.