Pune Engineer Turns Sanitary Pads Into Carbon-Saving Packaging

Ajinkya Dhariya was a mechanical engineering student when he discovered a problem most people were too uncomfortable to discuss: how sanitary pads were being disposed of.

In 2018, he learned that many users flushed pads down toilets because they felt embarrassed carrying them to common dustbins, clogging drains across Pune. Others left unwrapped pads in bins, creating odor and skin irritation for cleaning staff who handled them.

The two standard disposal methods weren't much better. Landfills and incineration were both adding pollution to an already struggling planet.

Ajinkya decided to create a third option. He designed a system that would make disposal hygienic and transform the waste into something useful.

His prototype caught attention at a national competition, landing his research paper in the top 10 entries. Months later, he launched Pad Care Labs with a clear mission: convert sanitary pads into cellulose and plastic pellets that could become packaging material.

The system works in two parts. SaniBins placed inside toilet cubicles collect up to 30 pads over three weeks, using a patent-pending disinfection system that locks out bacteria and eliminates odor. Users can dispose of pads privately without embarrassment.

The collected pads then go into SanEco machines, where they're mechanically shredded and chemically treated. The process removes absorbent chemicals and breaks down the material into cellulose for paper and plastic pellets for packaging.

That same year, the Infosys Foundation's Aarohan Social Innovation Awards gave Ajinkya Rs 30 lakh in funding. The money changed everything.

"Before Aarohan, I was a tech geek working on small projects, but the funding escalated things," Ajinkya says. He deployed 10 conversion units across Pune and began scaling operations.

The Ripple Effect

Today, Pad Care Labs processes 1.5 metric tons of sanitary pads daily. That's preventing 200,000 kg of carbon emissions every single day from entering the atmosphere.

The impact goes beyond environmental numbers. Women and girls no longer face the discomfort of carrying used pads through public spaces. Cleaning staff work in safer, more hygienic conditions without exposure to open waste.

Ajinkya's team of six has grown alongside the mission. They've appeared on Shark Tank and continue expanding their network of disposal units.

The engineer who started by talking to students in Pune schools and colleges has created a solution that addresses dignity, health, and climate change in one system. His innovation proves that the best solutions often come from simply listening to problems people face every day and refusing to accept that pollution is the only answer.