• Department of ITE&C, Government of Telangana

About the Hackathon

The Innovate 4 Menstrual Waste Hackathon – 2022 is jointly organized by WaterAid and the Telangana State Innovation Cell, ITE&C Department, Government of Telangana, India. The Hackathon aims to find solutions for treatment and disposal of used menstrual absorbents in a manner that is safe for the users (girls and women), environment friendly and can be up-scaled within current waste management systems and processes. This hackathon will aim at finding answers to challenges of menstrual waste management at household level, community level (village/ habitation/ basthi etc.) and at institution level (schools, Anganwadi Centers, healthcare facilities etc.). Apart from innovative technologies to address the issue, the hackathon looks forward to finding end to end solutions for menstrual waste management in both urban and rural contexts.

Aim of the Hackathon

Aim of the Hackathon

The hackathon aims to find solutions for treatment and disposal of used menstrual absorbents in a manner that is safe for the users (girls and women), environment friendly and can be up-scaled within current waste management systems and processes. This hackathon will aim at finding answers to challenges of menstrual waste management at household level, community level (village/ habitation/ basthi etc.) and at institution level (schools, Anganwadi Centers, healthcare facilities etc.). Apart from innovative technologies to address the issue, the hackathon looks forward to finding end to end solutions for menstrual waste management in both urban and rural contexts.

Problem Statements:

  1. Safe management of menstrual waste is critical for adolescent health and hygiene. When girls lack proper disposal facilities, they may use pads for a longer duration which increases risk for infection. Poor management of menstrual waste (e.g. open dumping, burning etc.) also results in environment pollution. Most sanitary pad varieties used are made of cellulose, super absorbent polymers (SAP), plastic covering and adhesives/glues. Many of these components do not decompose easily and remain in the environment. When sanitary pads are burned in low temperatures, they release toxic chemicals that are harmful for health.

Themes: All the participants are allowed to choose any one the below categories:

  1. Category 1: Technology solutions that promote efficient and environmentally safe solutions for menstrual waste (preference for non-burn/non-incinerator solutions)
  2. Category 2: Product solutions (alternative menstrual products that reduce volume of waste)
  3. Category 3: Systems and processes for safe and effective menstrual waste management.
    1. Safe disposal and waste segregation at source /user level (household, institutional, worksites, public toilets, etc.)
    2. Safe collection, segregation and transportation of menstrual waste for final treatment by waste collectors/sanitation workers, and through gram panchayat, urban local bodies.
Note: Information, education and communication, or behavior change communication should be an essential component of any solution to support the uptake of the technology, product and/or process solutions.

Participants Criteria

Participants Criteria

  1. You can join as an individual or as a team with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3.
  2. Team should at least have one woman participant
  3. Participation in the Hackathon is free for all.
  4. The third category ‘Waste handling and disposal options for adolescent health and hygiene at HouseHold and community level’ can be participated by adolescent girls aged between 11 to 18 years studying in schools and colleges and women.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The Innovate 4 Menstrual Waste Hackathon welcomes High School Students, College Students, Working Professionals, Homemakers, Innovators pursuing/aspiring careers in Similar educational streams but may not limited to Environmental, Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, Technology, Engineering, Social Sciences, Mathematics/Statistics, Public health, Policy, Management, Development, Urban studies etc. and working professionals who have worked/ interested to work in the domain of menstrual waste management innovation solutions tackling issues pertaining to urban and more emphasis on rural/remote regions.

Opportunities for Winning teams

Fellowship inclusive of mentorship from WaterAid on the proposed solution.

  • Finalists from the third category will find an opportunity to present their solutions to WaterAid team and other stakeholders

If you meet the eligibility criteria, apply now for the Hackathon at

Click Here To Register

The deadline for the application is: 9th May 2022