A call is being made for sanitary bins to be installed in men’s public toilets across the region.
Councillors will debate on Thursday whether to back Prostate Cancer UK’s Boys need Bins campaign and sign up for the Bog Standard award scheme.
It comes after a motion from SNP councillors Andy Ferguson and John Campbell, who want the council to aim to include sanitary and incontinence bins in all 58 of the council’s men’s public toilets once funds become available.
A report attached to the motion reveals the Boys Need Bins campaign supports the addition of bins “for personal and medical dignity”, with the Bog Standard scheme aiming to “improve research and support for those diagnosed with prostate cancer with a goal of ensuring male hygiene bins are available in public toilets”.
The motion from Councillors Ferguson and Campbell reveals one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, with more than 52,000 men in the UK being diagnosed every year.
Furthermore, one in three men over 65 are believed to have a urinary incontinence problem, with one in 25 over 50 experiencing some form of urinary leakage. NHS estimates suggest as many as six million people in the UK have some form of urinary incontinence.
And four out of five men miss day-to-day activities “due to fears about leaking and not having easy access to bins to dispose of their used incontinence products in public”
“By adopting Bog Standard, business and the public sectors will play a pivotal role in creating supportive environments where men can dispose of incontinence waste with dignity.”