UDUS Female Students Panic Over Unsafe Sanitary Pad Disposal in Hostels

The fear began on an otherwise quiet morning at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) when Muslimat Abdulfatai, a 300-level student living in Zamfara Hostel watched closely as a cleaner dragged out a dustbin filled with used sanitary pads. Curious about where the waste was going, she followed the cleaner with her eyes, and what she saw terrified her.

The cleaner walked to the back of the hostel, emptied the pile of used pads on bare ground and walked away. No attempt to burn them. No attempt to secure them, and the pads remained there and exposed, for days.

For Muslimat, this was a shocking discovery, as used sanitary pads has some deeply personal information, and exposing them without protection puts female students at privacy risk. With the school lacking a proper disposal system, she said she immediately stopped using the hostel dustbin.

“I saw the cleaner dump the whole dustbin of pads at the back of the hostel. I thought she would burn it, but she left it there for days. It scared me. I started flushing my pad because I could not find any safer place,” she said. 

Research has shown that the concerns of unsafe disposal also mirror a wider national problem. A report from the BMC Women’s Health has described menstrual waste management in Nigeria as a “critical yet neglected issue,” noting that many young females always resort to unsafe practices such as flushing pads down toilets or dumping them in open spaces and water bodies. The research warns that these practices can lead to blocked plumbing, the spread of germs, and increased health risks. Also in institutions that are lacking proper sanitation facilities or clean water, the practice poses severe health risks.

Muslimat is not alone. Ishola Rebecca, also a resident of Zamfara Hostel, said she has repeatedly seen cleaners move bags of used pads to unknown locations. This, she added, creates fear among many students who do not know where or how their personal waste is being handled.

Rebecca admitted she now flushes her pads too, even though she worries it might damage the toilet, because, according to her, the school has provided no alternative.

“I have seen cleaners take away pads and it is scary because a lady’s pad needs protection,” she said. “I once tried to question one of them but I didn’t have the courage. I now flush my pad after use. I don’t know if it is safe for the toilet, but I don’t have any other option.”

For some students, like Faith Gabriel, the warnings came early. The 300-level Mass Communication student aaid some older students have warned her in her first year never to dump used pads in the hostel dustbin. She said she sometimes buries hers because she has never trusted the waste system in the female hostels.

“I have known since 100 level that disposing pads in the dustbin is dangerous. Sometimes I bury mine. I feel bad whenever I see pads in the dustbin because that is not the right way to dispose of them.”

Fatima Zarah Muhammad, the recently appointed Students’ Union Welfare Director, said she had also experienced the same fear and distress while living in the hostels. She described the emotional discomfort of knowing one’s used pad could be left exposed in an open space.

Fatima said she plans to push the school management to create a safer system for female students.

“I will discuss with the school authority to provide a reservoir for all female hostels. It will make disposal easier and any waste in the reservoir will be burnt every two weeks. We want to do this as soon as possible,” she assured.

Suaibat Ibraheem, a 500-level Agriculture student and the Hall Governor of Zamfara Hall, said the issue has worried her for a long time. She called on the school to create awareness about the dangers of exposing used sanitary pads and to train cleaners on proper disposal.