Free sanitary products to be offered in more public buildings

Free sanitary products are to be made available in a range of public buildings in Orkney from next month onwards.

This follows on from August last year, when the Scottish Government made funding available to supply free products in schools, colleges and universities.

This scheme is now being extended, with the council and Orkney’s community planning partners to begin stocking free products in other facilities including community centres, libraries, the new hospital and from a range of voluntary sector organisations.

The products available will be regular sanitary pads, tampons and night-time sanitary pads.

The council has explained that the main aims of the scheme are to tackle what is known as “period poverty” and protect people’s dignity by making a range of products available in places that people use, ensuring anyone who menstruates can access sufficient amounts of these products, including transgender men/non-binary individuals.

Hayley Green is the council’s head of buildings and facilities. She said: “In its 2018 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government made a commitment to increase the number and range of places where sanitary products are available for those who need them.

“Sanitary products are not a luxury product, they are a necessity for a very large part of someone’s life. We want to encourage people who need them to take the products — taking enough for their entire period, not just for that day. It doesn’t have to be for themselves either; they may be picking them up for someone else.”