Access to appropriate hygiene products is a basic human right, yet millions of women and girls around the world still walk into washrooms without any place to dispose of their sanitary products.

This issue is particularly pressing in public spaces such as schools, workplaces, and other communal areas, where adequate feminine hygiene facilities are needed but often lack.

Ensuring that washrooms are equipped with essential feminine hygiene practices is a priority of ours at Nuwkem.

Understanding Period Poverty:

Meaning: A Lack of Access to Feminine Hygiene Products

For many women and girls, the lack of access to proper hygiene products and facilities can have profound consequences.

• In schools, young girls may miss their classes or even drop out entirely due to the discomfort associated with inadequate menstrual hygiene management (MHM).
• In workplaces, the absence of appropriate facilities can affect productivity and well-being, as something so basic can interrupt a workday.
• Public restrooms without proper disposal options for feminine hygiene products contribute to environmental pollution and pose significant health risks.

Period poverty is a term that has been coined for the lack of access to menstrual products in hygiene facilities and affects over 500 million women and girls around the world.

Period poverty is worsened by stigma, lack of information, and insufficient education on women’s health and hygiene. Many girls and young women are often unprepared for their periods due to a lack of awareness. Furthermore, policymakers and adults in schools and workplaces often lack menstrual hygiene support.

Lancet Regional Health published in the PubMedCentral Journal that “menstrual health is a neglected public health issue”, impacting not only physical health but also mental well-being and educational and professional opportunities. The stigma and silence surrounding menstruation exacerbate these issues, making it challenging to address them openly.

By ensuring that public washrooms are equipped with necessary feminine hygiene practices, we can break down these barriers and create environments where women and girls can manage their hygiene needs worry-free and with dignity.

Importance of Feminine Hygiene in Public Washrooms

Over 500 million women lack access to menstrual products and appropriate hygiene facilities. That is why we insist that it is essential for businesses to implement adequate feminine hygiene solutions in their washrooms. 

Furthermore, ensuring these high quality products are in your facilities offers the following benefits: 

1. Prevent infections by ensuring all menstrual products are safely and cleanly disposed of. 
2. Access to feminine hygiene solutions offers a safe and discreet place for women and menstruating individuals to attend to their hygiene needs comfortably. 
3. Maintenance and environmental protection against improper disposal leads to pipe blockages and further plumbing issues.
4. Prioritising safety for all those using the bathroom, visitors and cleaners alike. 

Must-Have Feminine Hygiene Products in Washrooms

Sanibins for Feminine Hygiene Product Disposal

Sanitary bins (sanibins), also known as shebins, are essential for properly disposing of feminine hygiene products. These bins provide a discrete and sanitary method for disposing of used sanitary pads, tampons, and other hygiene products.

Sanibins Are Essential to:

• Maintain a clean and hygienic environment by preventing the spread of bacteria and odours.
• Offer a discreet disposal method.
• Proper disposal through sanibins reduces the risk of plumbing blockages and environmental pollution.

Nuwkem’s Solution

Nuwkem’s slimline, touch-free sanitary bin is designed by women, for women.

Our Sanibin features:

• Pedal operation for minimal contact
• Made of durable, bendable polypropylene plastic.
• The smooth, ridge-free design is easy to clean and doesn’t collect dust.
• With a discreet top opening, flute chute, and the front-opening lid, its contents are out of sight.
• The smaller opening of the bin prevents large objects from being disposed of.
• Designed to be tamper-proof.

Bin Deodoriser

A bin deodoriser is crucial in maintaining an odour-free washroom environment.

Deodorisers neutralise odours and prevent the spread of smells that can result from used feminine hygiene products.

Bin Deodorisers Are Important For:

• Ensuring that washrooms remain pleasant and welcoming.
• Neutralising odours to contribute to a more hygienic environment.

Nuwkem’s Solution

Nuwkem’s Ticra sanitary bin deodoriser – for an odour-free bin between services

• Sanitary waste is safely and hygienically disposed of.
• Eradicates bad odours between services.
• Deactivates germs and bacteria.
• 1 x 5kg gives 250 scoops of product, 1 scoop is required per sani bin service.

Hygiene Bag Dispensers

Hygiene bag dispensers provide women with sanitary bags to dispose of used hygiene products. These dispensers ensure that used products are securely wrapped before being placed in sanibins, for hygienic purposes as they reduce the risk of contamination.

Hygiene Bag Dispensers Are Necessary For:

• Providing an additional layer of hygiene by containing used products in a sanitary manner.
• Making it easy for women to access hygiene bags and promoting proper disposal practices.

Nuwkem’s Solution

Keep your sanitary bags neat and tidy for convenient use through Nuwkem’s hygiene bag dispenser.

• Used for the discreet disposal of used sanitary products.
• The dispenser is installed next to the sanitary bin or toilet roll holder, making it convenient to use and dispose of.
• The actual sanitary product waste is not visible in the bags.
• Controls the odour from the sanitary bin.

The Nuwkem Green Light

Ensuring that public washrooms incorporate feminine hygiene equipment such as sanibins, bin deodorisers, and hygiene bag dispensers is as essential as any other equipment.

These products are essential to a clean, dignified, and equitable environment.

By prioritising feminine hygiene in public washrooms, businesses take a significant step towards addressing the broader social issues of menstrual health, hygiene, and period poverty.

At Nuwkem, we acknowledge that menstrual health is directly linked to one’s dignity, and neglecting it only worsens the challenges faced by women and girls all over the world. We want to do our part as a hygiene wholesaler to encourage our customers to make feminine hygiene a priority in their washrooms, ensuring on our end that the products we stock are of high quality and accessible for all types of washrooms.

Equip your washroom with ALL of your hygiene essentials at Nuwkem.