Men's toilets need more sanitary bins, says MP

Men's public toilets need more sanitary bins so those with bladder problems can dispose of incontinence pads, an independent MP has said.

Margaret Ferrier told MPs that one in 25 men over 40 experience urinary incontinence.

She said her constituents were concerned about the lack of a legal duty to provide sanitary bins for men.

The government has said it is in the process of updating regulations and guidelines.

In November 2022, Levelling Up Minister Lee Rowley said in a written answer to MPs that the government was "undertaking further technical consultations".

Incontinence is a side effect of prostate cancer treatment and the charity Prostate Cancer UK says men can face anxiety over what to do with used incontinence pads.

Speaking to the BBC last year, Jonathan Hall, a cancer survivor, said: "The simple act [of going to the toilet] has taken on a whole new meaning."

He started using pads after he had part of his prostate removed, but struggled to dispose of the pads when using public toilets.

Mr Hall said his current solution was to take two pads with him, wrap one up in the other, and carry it around until he can find a bin.

"It's not necessarily the most hygienic way of doing it but it is the only way," he explained.

A 2018 study by Birmingham University found that around 10% of men experience incontinence, compared to 40% of women.

Prostate Cancer UK estimates that around 40% of the 400,000 men who have had prostate cancer would experience life-long urinary problems.

The charity's campaign, Boys need Bins, is calling for incontinence bins put in every public toilet and business across the UK.

Spokesperson for the charity Chiara De Biase said "One in eight men will get it, rising to one in four for Black men, and as many as one in two of those men treated with surgery may experience urinary incontinence as a result.

"We are lobbying the government for changes in legislation to ensure men have access to facilities to dispose of incontinence products easily, hygienically and discreetly."

Raising the issue in the House of Commons, Ms Ferrier, MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton said: "One in 25 men over 40 experience urinary incontinence and one in 20 men over 60 experience fistula incontinence generally, but there is no statutory requirement for sanitary bins in men's toilets, something my constituents have voiced concerns about."

She urged the government to hold a debate on "the need for equal access to hygiene bins in public toilets".

Responding to Ms Ferrier's question, senior minister Penny Mordaunt said it was an important point and promised to raise the issue with the departments involved.