Over the last few months, I have been asking my employer to provide sanitary bins in the workplace. This has now happened. This was raised with our HR and finance teams at head office. A monthly collection service has been set up with a sanitary waste collection company, which means employees now have a discrete way to dispose of their products. This means that waste and compliance regulations are met.
Getting sanitary bins to be provided at work helps to create an inclusive, hygienic and comfortable workplace environment. Being able to properly dispose of hygiene products is a necessity for people who menstruate and a legal requirement under workplace health and safety regulations.
Having the bins helps to stop plumbing problems caused by improper disposal, maintains cleanliness and goes a small way to help employees feel valued and respected.
If you would like to campaign for sanitary bins to be installed in your workplace, to make it more inclusive, there are a few steps to take:
- Check workplace policy
- Raise awareness and speak to HR as they may already have a supplier for the company
- Check the legal requirements. If needed, refer to workplace regulations like the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
- Suggest a service provider if the company doesn’t already have one.
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