Camden Council in NSW will join the Bins4Blokes men’s health campaign, after councillors endorsed the project. BINS4Blokes is an Australia-wide awareness and advocacy campaign promoting the installation of sanitary disposal bins in male public toilet facilities.

The campaign is an initiative of the Continence Foundation of Australia, encouraging providers of toilets in public spaces to include disposal bins for incontinence products in male toilets.

Camden mayor Theresa Fedeli said the campaign was another step towards supporting men’s health issues.

“The health and wellbeing of the community is of paramount importance to the council and this is a positive for all of our male residents,” Cr Fedeli said.

“For boys and men who use incontinence products, there are very few or no places for them to be disposed and this has in the past led to them not wanting to leave the house and getting down on themselves.”

The project will include the installation of approximately 70 sanitary bins in men’s toilets across the Camden area to assist boys and men living with incontinence.

“The Bins4Blokes initiative provides an opportunity for us to participate in a project that facilitates and further enhances social inclusion within the community,” Cr Fedeli said.

“Council has taken large strides to supporting a number of great initiatives and foundations including both women and men’s health over the last few years and I am proud to be on board.”

A study of Australian men with urinary incontinence found that 50 per cent of them would avoid situations where they could not access a toilet safely.

It also found that between 20 and 43 per cent of men and boys who are struggling with incontinence also suffer depression.

Councillor Cindy Cagney raised a notice of motion at a council meeting last year to have council staff investigate the feasibility of installing Bins4Blokes in the region’s public toilets.

Cr Cagney said at the time thst having bins installed in male public toilets would help to support local men who are living with this issue.

“They might choose not to go out, or go to events because they are worried about disposing the product,” she said.

“Without bins it would require them to not only carry the incontinence product in but then put it in a bag or something and carry it out.

“It’s not just men with prostate cancer who might struggle with this but there are a number of factors that can lead to incontinence.

This story Camden Council first council in NSW to support Bins4Blokes first appeared on Wollondilly Advertiser