PadCare Labs: Pioneering Menstrual Hygiene and Waste Management

Ensuring menstrual hygiene and safety of rag pickers  PadCare Labs has come up with a technology to recycle soiled sanitary napkins

Background

Ajinkya Dhariya, a mechanical engineering graduate with a passion for sustainability, began his journey into entrepreneurship by founding PadCare Labs. Hailing from a coastal village in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, Ajinkya was moved by the hazardous conditions faced by rag pickers in Pune who often handled soiled sanitary napkins with their bare hands. This interaction sparked his mission to address the issue of menstrual waste. 

Recognizing the multiple challenges of menstrual hygiene and safety for both women and waste pickers, Ajinkya applied for the SOCH (Solutions for Community Health) award of BIRAC and pitched his idea at Venture Center. With a SOCH grant of ₹15 lakhs, he conducted market research and developed a proof of concept. Further support from Venture Center helped him secure an additional ₹50 lakhs to transform his concept into a minimum viable product. 

Tackling a Massive Problem

India’s population of menstruating women is estimated at 330 million, with each woman using up to 10,000 sanitary pads until menopause. This results in approximately 12 billion soiled napkins being disposed of annually, posing significant environmental and health hazards as they typically end up in landfills or clogging drains.   

To tackle this problem, Ajinkya, with the help of Venture Center and Tata Trust, conducted an on-ground pilot, leading to the development of PadCare Labs' 5D process – Disinfection, Deodorization, Decolorization, Disintegration, and Deactivation. This innovative recycling technology preserves valuable materials like cellulose and plastic, repurposing them into products like paper and paver blocks.