Sanitary bins will be placed in some men’s public toilets in Tendring in a trial of a new scheme backed by a prostate cancer charity.
Tendring District Council (TDC) already provides bins in its unisex, female and disabled toilets but is backing the Boys Need Bins campaign from Prostate Cancer UK, which calls for support for men living wth incontinence.
As part of the TDC trial, sanitary bins will be placed in male public toilets at Western Promenade, Brightlingsea; Walton-on-the-Naze (next to the Pier); Pier Gap, Clacton; Cambridge Road, Frinton; and Harwich Quay.
Nick Ridgman, Head of Health Information & Clinical Support at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “A man living with incontinence shouldn’t have to worry that he might have to carry around his own used pads when he’s out of the house, just because he can’t access a sanitary bin to dispose of it hygienically.
“For the hundreds of thousands of men in the UK living with incontinence, this is their reality. Their lives are being limited by the taboo that surrounds male incontinence, and the anxiety caused by a lack of basic facilities in men’s toilets.
“We’re delighted that Tendring District Council is backing our Boys Need Bins campaign and introducing sanitary bins in their men’s public loos. While we eventually want laws to change so that all men have access to a bin, in the meantime it’s exciting that real change is happening across the UK, as the campaign builds momentum.”
Gina Placey, TDC cabinet member for partnerships, said sanitary bins could be needed by a wide range of men.
“These bins are something which can quickly and easily improve the lives of the many men who, for a variety of reasons, may have issues with incontinence and need to change, and dispose of, pads,” Cllr Placey said.
“This is a hidden problem which is much wider than you may think; a third of men aged over-65 experience urinary incontinence and 1 in 20 men aged over-60 live with bowel incontinence.”
