Global Review of Sanitation System Trends and Interactions with Menstrual Management Practices Report for the Menstrual Management and Sanitation Systems Project

The report analyzes urban sanitation trends across Sub-Saharan Africa, China, India, South East Asia, and Latin America, while examining the technical and social interactions between these systems and menstrual waste disposal. It finds that menstrual products, particularly those with super-absorbent materials, frequently cause blockages in water-borne sewerage systems and reduce the design life of on-site pit latrines. The document argues that menstrual management is largely ignored in sanitation design, leading to privacy issues for women and operational failures in infrastructure. It recommends the use of solid waste streams for menstrual product disposal and the design of 'women-friendly' facilities that include private waste bins and hand-washing stations.

• Urban sanitation trends vary by region: sewer systems predominate in China and Latin America, septic tanks in South East Asia, and traditional pit latrines in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Menstrual products, especially those containing super-absorbent polyacrylate materials, are a significant cause of blockages in sewerage systems globally.
• In water-borne systems, menstrual waste often combines with coagulated grease to form 'fatbergs' in large diameter pipes, while causing blockages in smaller pipes.
• Disposing of menstrual waste in pit latrines reduces their design life because non-biodegradable components accumulate and cause the pits to fill up faster.
• Menstrual waste complicates the emptying of on-site systems; in Zambia, it is reported to contribute to 25% of suction system blockages during pit emptying.
• In productive sanitation systems, such as urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDTs), menstrual blood in urine can be a social barrier to the reuse of urine as fertilizer due to cultural perceptions of contamination.
• Menstrual management is frequently excluded from the design of sanitation infrastructure, leading to a lack of privacy and dignity for women and girls.
• The most appropriate disposal method for used menstrual pads is through the solid waste system, but a lack of available bins often leads to inappropriate disposal in toilets.
• In schools in developing countries, a severe lack of disposal facilities often results in pads being thrown into open pits or left in school compounds, creating health risks.

APA

Kjellén, M., Pensulo, C., Nordqvist, P., & Fogde, M. (2011). Global Review of Sanitation System Trends and Interactions with Menstrual Management Practices Report for the Menstrual Management and Sanitation Systems Project. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-ProjectReport-Kjellen-GlobalReviewOfSanitationSystemTrendsAndInteractionsWithMenstrualManagementPractices.pdf

Chicago

Kjellén, Marianne, Chibesa Pensulo, Petter Nordqvist, and Madeleine Fogde. Global Review of Sanitation System Trends and Interactions with Menstrual Management Practices Report for the Menstrual Management and Sanitation Systems Project. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2011. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-ProjectReport-Kjellen-GlobalReviewOfSanitationSystemTrendsAndInteractionsWithMenstrualManagementPractices.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kjellén |first1=Marianne |last2=Pensulo |first2=Chibesa |last3=Nordqvist |first3=Petter |last4=Fogde |first4=Madeleine |title=Global Review of Sanitation System Trends and Interactions with Menstrual Management Practices Report for the Menstrual Management and Sanitation Systems Project |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2011 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-ProjectReport-Kjellen-GlobalReviewOfSanitationSystemTrendsAndInteractionsWithMenstrualManagementPractices.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kjelln2011global, author = {Kjellén, Marianne and Pensulo, Chibesa and Nordqvist, Petter and Fogde, Madeleine}, title = {{Global Review of Sanitation System Trends and Interactions with Menstrual Management Practices Report for the Menstrual Management and Sanitation Systems Project}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2011}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-ProjectReport-Kjellen-GlobalReviewOfSanitationSystemTrendsAndInteractionsWithMenstrualManagementPractices.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }