An easy way of disposal

Lijisha CK’s sanitary pad incinerator Vomera has brought a lot of relief to women, both at home and the workplace

By Shevlin Sebastian 

Lijisha CK expected a tough sell when she met the elderly president of a private sector bank. She wanted to persuade the senior executive to buy a sanitary pad incinerator called Vomera. This is a product made by her with the help of her husband Krishna Ram. So, her surprise was genuine when the president agreed to buy it almost at once.  

And then he explained the reason why. “Just last week, a few girls had come for training in the bank,” he said. “Since they had no place to stay I asked them to stay at my home. Only my wife and I are there. They stayed for two days and left. But after a week, the bathroom pipe became blocked. When the plumber investigated, the cause was the napkins which had been flushed down the toilet by these girls.” 

Even in buildings which have large pipes, it gets clogged. Like in the civilians quarters of the Central Reserve Police Force Force at Thiruvananthapuram. “When an investigation was done, the pipes were clogged with baby diapers and sanitary pads,” says Lijisha. “Now they have installed one of our incinerators there.” 

Lijisha says that this is also an issue in many multi-storeyed buildings at Kochi. “The problem is that the corporation will not accept these pads,” she says. “Secondly, it is difficult to burn. So installing an incinerator is the best solution.” 

It comes in different sizes. For homes, you can buy one for Rs 11,000. 15 napkins can be burnt in a day. “The most popular is one which burns 250 napkins,” says Lijisha. “It is priced at Rs 30,000. And there is a one-year warranty.” 

This is how it works. Plug it in. Put the pad through an opening. It falls onto a bed of electric coils. Thus burns up the pad. The ash falls into a tray. There is a bit of smoke which goes out through a pipe which leads outside the window. The ash can be easily thrown away. So far, these have been sold in schools, colleges, hostels, offices and apartment buildings.  

The company has had a soft launch some time ago. “It’s just the two of us, and we are expanding very slowly,” says Lijisha. “My husband and I were working for other people. This is the first business we are doing. So we want to move forward cautiously.” 

Initially, it was not easy. “When we would say we are doing a sanitary napkin incinerator business, people would say, ‘Could you not have found another business to do?’” says Lijisha. “But now attitudes have changed. People have become more accepting.” 

And Lijisha says that she is gratified when she explains the product to small groups of women and sees the relieved looks on their faces. “I am glad to offer a solution,” she says.  

One very happy customer is Shaifa A Rawther who works in the HR department of a paint company in Kayamkulam. “There are 10 women in our office,” she says. “Getting rid of sanitary napkins is such a major problem. So we are so happy that there is a product like Vomera. Using it is also very easy. I am so happy about it that I am telling my friends and relatives about it. One day, I even called Lijisha and thanked her for making this product.”   

Lijisha also provides a vending machine for napkins. Push a coin into a slot and a sanitary napkin will come out. 

(The New Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)