Men of Australia - we need your help!
If you suffer from incontinence, you will probably relate to the problem that Alan experienced at the Air Show in 2011.
Four weeks after having his prostate removed, Alan attended the Air Show in Melbourne with his great mate, Pete. They had a ball checking out all the aircraft, taking heaps of pictures and smelling the avgas!
At the time, Alan was wearing pull-up continence pads (size 3, he tells me). He was on his feet all day, except when he had his lunch. He knew that his pad was wet through and he needed to change it.
Picture the scene inside a tiny public toilet on a trailer – struggling to get your shoes off so you can get out of your jeans. You feel the relief of putting on a fresh pull-up, before wriggling back into your jeans and shoes.
Alan then had to walk out of the cubicle carrying his used pad into the public wash basin area, where he was lucky to find a bin for paper towel disposal. Phew!
How would you have felt in Alan’s place? This may be a situation you’ve faced yourself. Public toilets for men don’t always have a rubbish bin – many have now switched to electric hand-dryers.
What is the solution for this uncomfortable and embarrassing situation?
Bins 4 Blokes
For boys and men who use incontinence products, there are very few places for them to dispose of the used item. This can make them want to stay put, not feeling confident to leave their homes and join in everyday activities.
Bins4Blokes is an Australia-wide awareness and advocacy campaign promoting the installation of incontinence product disposal bins in male public toilet facilities.
Alan will be going to Canberra in mid June to attend the National General Assembly 2022 of Local Government. He will be part of a contingent from the Continence Foundation of Australia (CFA). They will be liaising with local government officials to promote Bins 4 Blokes.
How can YOU help?
Next time you visit a public toilet in your area, take a look to see if there is a disposal bin for continence products. Let us know what you find.
Just send us an email to let us know the name of your local Council or Shire, along with what you found (or didn’t find) in your local public toilets.
Alan and the CFA team can then discuss your findings with representatives from your area.
The Great Dunny Hunt is on again
Each year Australians are urged to take part in the Great Dunny Hunt. The Continence Foundation asks dunny hunters from across Australia to share their feedback on the National Public Toilet Map.
The National Public Toilet Map shows the location of more than 19,000 public and private public facilities across Australia, including toilets, adult change and baby care.
Information is provided about each toilet, such as location, accessibility details, opening hours and features like sharps disposal and showers.
During the Great Dunny Hunt, you can go in the draw to win prizes. For full information, check out the details on the website.