Article
Details
Citation
Roxburgh H, Magombo C, Kaliwo T, Tilley EA, Hampshire K, Oliver DM & Quilliam RS (2022) Blood flows: mapping journeys of menstrual waste in Blantyre, Malawi. Cities and Health, 6 (4), pp. 738-751. https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2021.1916330
Abstract
The interplay between menstrual waste and urban sanitation infrastructure is largely hidden from view. Qualitative research has highlighted socio-cultural aspects of menstruation, but few quantitative studies have mapped the physical situation at scale. This study surveyed 258 women in Blantyre, Malawi about their menstrual absorbent choices, disposal practices, and socio-demographic characteristics. A Sankey diagram visualised flows of menstrual waste in the urban environment and identified ultimate disposal points. Most participants used either disposable pads and/or old cloth and disposed of them by either burning and/or throwing in pit latrines. Pad and cloth use were associated with age, education, employment, marital status, and household wealth. Younger women’s preference for disposable pads suggests that demographic shifts may cause volumes of menstrual waste to increase. However, differences in waste volume produced by disposable and reusable absorbents was less than previously assumed. The volume of menstrual waste discarded in pit latrines, and cultural barriers to disposing it elsewhere, highlights challenges for the pit emptying industry and faecal sludge value recovery sector, with the problem anticipated to be most acute in high-density settlements. Widening access to sustainable disposal strategies, affordable reusable menstrual products, and tackling stigma, are key to addressing this social and environmental challenge.
Keywords
Menstruation; Solid waste; Sanitation; Faecal sludge; Gender
Journal
Cities and Health: Volume 6, Issue 4
Status | Published |
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Funders | Natural Environment Research Council |
Publication date | 31/12/2022 |
Publication date online | 31/05/2021 |
Date accepted by journal | 25/03/2021 |
URL | http://hdl.handle.net/1893/32503 |
ISSN | 2374-8834 |
eISSN | 2374-8842 |
People (3)
Professor, Biological and Environmental Sciences
PhD Researcher, Biological and Environmental Sciences
Professor, Biological and Environmental Sciences