How you can get involved

You can write to your councillor and let them know that Boys need Bins. Many councils are learning about the campaign either via our supporters, seeing coverage in the papers or hearing about it. It is very heartening that Councils are recognising the needs of incontinent men and are drafting motions to bring in bins. 

You will find a sample draft Council motion further down this page that will save time for your Councillor in creating this. 

Join 2,400 of our supporters and continue to bang the drum with your MP.  Our report has some incredibly insightful findings about what incontinent men experience when trying to dispose of their products and their daily challenges. We also speak to businesses and find out that they are in the dark about male incontinence.

Let your MP know about our findings and share our report Lifting the lid on male incontinence with your MP. 

We’ve created a draft letter for you to send to your business to raise awareness about male incontinence and ask if they would consider bringing in bins for their staff, visitors and the like.

Feel free to copy from below and also remember that if you do decide to add in your own experiences, it will make your letter more personal and impactful. 

Subject Matter: Lifting the lid on male incontinence  

Dear XXXX  

I am writing to you as a local resident and supporter of Prostate Cancer UK, as I’d like to bring to your attention a matter, that you may well not be aware of.   

Did you know that in the UK:  

1. 1 in 25 men aged over 40 will experience some form of urinary leakage every year1.   

1. 60% of men who have a radical prostatectomy post  prostate  cancer diagnosis, may experience urinary incontinence2   

1. Approximately 1% of men suffer bowel incontinence, rising to 5.1% for those aged 60+. 3  

This issue is little known and I am writing to you to see what support (INSERT BUSINESS /COUNCIL NAME) can provide for men who are incontinent and are struggling on a daily basis to find toilets where they can dispose of their sanitary waste. This campaign is called Boys need Bins.  

By introducing male sanitary bins in male toilets, it will mean men will be able to easily dispose of their sanitary waste in a safe, hygienic and dignified manner.  There are heart wrenching stories of men carrying their wet and  sodden pads in rucksacks to take home as they can’t find a bin at work or whilst they are out and about. Prostate Cancer UK’s report, Lifting the lid on male incontinence*4 found that men feel embarrassed, ashamed and anxious about this and are isolating themselves as a result of this issue 

Many believe that the cost of introducing one or more bins into a premises, will be prohibitive and therefore immediately becomes unfeasible. Prostate Cancer UK have spoken to those who have introduced bins and the below demonstrates the cost and what the benefit is to your business/workplace, etc.   

I would urge you to speak to your leadership team about this matter and to consider the feasibility of introducing sanitary bin/s for men in their toilets, highlighting the nominal cost below.  

The below table demonstrates the business case for introducing male sanitary bins into your space.  

With your support, you can lead on delivering change and support men who experience incontinence/wear a stoma bag or use products that require sanitary disposal, so that they have provision for a dedicated male sanitary bin in your male toilets and locality.  

If you would like to find out more about the Boys need Bins campaign, or want to know what else you can do to promote the needs of incontinent men, then please do get in touch with either myself or the Boys need Bins campaign team.  

With my best wishes,   

(INSERT NAME)   

Boys need Bins national stakeholders 

References:   

1https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20541241/   
2https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2009.11.078  & https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2022.05.012    
3https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-005-0014-5   
4 https://prostatecanceruk.org/media/qugapc3p/6999_boys_need_bins_brochure_digital_final-1.pdf 
5https://www.phswashrooms.ie/media/2581/phs-group-male-incontinence-whitepaper_final.pdf 

Our report details findings from workplaces includes highlighting the lack of knowledge of male incontinence as well as the cost to unblocking toilets. It also includes insights from men about their experiences about disposing of their products and what they think about using disabled toilets. 

You can read our report here. 

We have worked with Winchester Council to create the below copy for a draft motion. This is a template copy and can be used by Councillors for drafting a motion. 

Boys need bins draft motion
This Council notes:
• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed, rising to 1 in 4 for Black men. As many as 69% of those treated with surgery may experience urinary incontinence as a result.
• 1 in 25 men aged over 40 will experience some form of urinary leakage every year.
• 1 in 20 men aged 60 or over will experience bowel incontinence in the UK.
• Men who need to dispose of their sanitary waste (including incontinence pads, pouches, stoma, catheter, colostomy, ileostomy waste by-products) often have no direct access to a sanitary bin in male toilets.
This Council believes:
• that men should be able to safely and hygienically dispose of incontinence products easily and with dignity wherever they go
• that men who need to dispose of their sanitary waste should have direct access to a sanitary bin in male toilets.
This Council resolves:
• That the Executive Member for INSERT RELEVANT SERVICE e.g., Countryside and Regulatory Services should consider as soon as reasonably practicable the provision of at least one sanitary bin in all INSERT, eg County Council male toilets – both public and in council buildings.
• To encourage other providers of public and workplace toilets in our area to make male sanitary bins available in their facilities.
• To support Prostate Cancer UK’s ‘Boys need Bins’ campaign.
• That the Leader should write on behalf of the Council to our local MPs asking them to support Prostate Cancer UK’s ‘Boys need Bins’ campaign and their request for Government to update any necessary regulations to ensure that ‘suitable means for the disposal of sanitary dressings’ is provided in all toilets.

Reference: https://democracy.hants.gov.uk/documents/s112216/Notice%20of%20Motion.pdf

We've been asked by many businesses nationally for a logo to display that their toilets have a bin inside. You can use the below infographic within your facility for this purpose and for any social media posts, PR. 

We would recommend signage on the outside of toilet doors and can use the below to create stickers, posters, A5 signage. 

Black logo with white background

White logo with black background 

You can also share our costings document which gives businesses and Councils an overview of how much it’d cost to install male sanitary bins. In a nutshell, it's a nominal cost ranging between £29-£108 every year. We found that businesses in our report were spending up to £5,000 every year to unblock toilets. The argument is simple and the economic benefits are plain to see. 

You can find out more below. 

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