It’s great to be able to make a difference without it costing the earth.
I’d been working alongside Prostate Cancer UK as part of my non-council work and when it mentioned that it was running a ‘Boys need Bins’ campaign to get sanitary bins into male toilets, I was immediately interested.
We’re always on the look-out for ways to improve our services – particularly those that reach groups of people who have been underserved in the past – and this sounded like an affordable way to make a meaningful difference for those men who need it.
More and more men are having to use incontinence products, especially those who have had treatment for prostate problems.
It’s something that men can be embarrassed about and that can also cause cost and maintenance problems for toilet facilities if incontinence products are flushed, rather than properly dealt with – so offering a discreet way to dispose of them makes a lot of sense.
Providing a solution is also relatively cheap and easy – which is never a bad thing when our finances are under such pressure.
It’s also something where councillors, officers and outside partners can all feel that they’re making a positive, practical difference. And toilets matter! The visitor economy is very important to our district.
Christmas, in particular, is extraordinarily busy, so we are working to make sure we have enough public toilets and we have the facilities to meet as wide a range of different needs as possible.
We want everyone – no matter what their situation – to feel that Winchester and our market towns are welcoming places to visit where their needs are taken into account.
Of course, there’s always going to be more to do to achieve this. Becoming a more inclusive place will remain a continuous work in progress.
But putting sanitary bins into our men’s toilets is a small and useful step forward that will make an important difference for those men who need it.
- Has your council or parish council introduced male sanitary bins? Please email [email protected] and let them know – or to discuss the above. For further information, see www.prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved/campaigning/incontinence
