In Australia, 1.34M boys and men are living with urinary or faecal incontinence with over a third being under the age of 50.
Despite this high number, there are very few bins installed in male public toilets around the country.
The Continence Foundation of Australia has launched BINS4Blokes, an Australia-wide awareness and advocacy campaign promoting the installation of incontinence product disposal bins in male public toilet facilities.
The campaign is calling on government, corporations, community organisations and the general public to be part of the solution and ‘put in a bin for blokes’.
A lack of facilities to dispose of incontinence products can lead to a constant fear of public embarrassment and a reduced capacity to participate in everyday activities, consequently leading to social isolation and poor mental health.
A study of Australian men with urinary incontinence found that 50 percent avoided situations where they could not access a toilet easily and 28 percent avoid socialising, except with close family and friends.
In addition to improving the quality of life for boys and men with incontinence, the installation of disposal bins in male public toilets will also reduce the number of incontinence products being flushed down the toilet or disposed of inappropriately.
For World Continence Week, June 21 through to June 27, the Foundation encourages everyone in the community, from local governments and big corporations to community clubs and individuals, to open up conversations around this issue and champion the BINS4Blokes initiative to help support the 1.34M boys and men living with incontinence.
