Sanitary pad incinerators not viable, say hoteliers

Our Correspondent

Kullu, November 17

Manali Hoteliers’ Association president Anup Ram Thakur said today that installing sanitary pad incinerators in hospitality units would serve no purpose, as no woman guest would like to deposit a used pad in an incinerator set up at a common place in any tourism unit. He added that it was also not possible to install an incinerator in each room.

He said that installing incinerators in each room and bio-composters in a tourism unit would be more harmful than their actual utility on the ground. Besides incurring huge costs, these would pollute the environment by producing smoke, ash, waste, gas etc., which would damage public health and create the possibility of long-term problems, he claimed.

Thakur said that he had proposed to set up incinerators and composters initially at a few suitable places through the Municipal Council on an experimental basis. He added that guests normally throw sanitary napkins in dustbins kept in washrooms. He added that all hospitality units could send the sanitary waste separately to these incinerator sites.

He said that the setting up of incinerators in every tourism unit should not be enforced. He added that some alternative arrangement should be made if the proposal to set up incinerators by the Municipal Council does not materialise.

He said that he had approached the District Tourism Development Officer, Kullu, and the Member Secretary, District Environment Committee, Kullu, and requested them to favourably consider the matter.