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{{Kigali-}}{Balton Rwanda is re-emphasising the use of medicated sanitary waste disposal bins used in ladies’ toilets that provide a hygienic way of collecting and disposing sanitary waste}.
Speaking while addressing journalists yesterday, Mr. Gideon Kemboi, the Public Health Division Manager at Balton Rwanda, said used sanitary pads collection and disposal remains one of the bio-hazard wastes that are given less attention in the country today.
“Lack of proper sanitary waste collection kits in many public ladies lavatories has always caused the ladies to either flash the waste in the toilets or throw it in the general paper waste bins,” he explained.
Sanitary waste contains blood and if not correctly collected and disposed, can transmit blood borne diseases. The common examples of blood borne diseases are HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Hemorrhagic fevers.
Diseases that are not usually transmitted directly by blood contact, but rather by insects or other vectors, are more usefully classified as vector-borne diseases, even though the causative agent can be found in blood. Many blood-borne diseases can also be transmitted by other means.
Mr. Kemboi said, over the past six years, they have been supplying medicated sanitary waste disposal bins for use in the ladies lavatories to owners of hotels, homes and other public places and periodically changing and emptying them to avoid flushing the waste in the lavatories which causes drainage blockages.
“Since the bins are medicated with bactericides, the decomposition bacteria are killed, and the resultant foul smell avoided,” he said.
The collected waste is collected in special red bags obtained from COOPED and later incinerated by Balton Rwanda in collaboration with COOPED.
Balton Rwanda contracted COOPED to collect sanitary waste from their offices located in 21, Avenue De La Paix and dispose them.
The sanitary waste are always disnfected during collection so no disinfection is required before burning.
Mr. Kemboi added that the bins have unique features such as the lid design, where contents cannot be seen by the user, a special lock-on feature for easy cleaning, a body made of polypropylene, a cover peal made of ABS plastic, a germicidal fluid which kills bacterial and sterilizes contents, a perfumed vapour that prevents unpleasant odors and a heavy duty pedal for hands free sanitary refuse disposal.
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