Published 15 August 2022
Residents are being reminded that they can access free period products in multiple locations throughout West Dunbartonshire.
New legislation comes into force today (August 15), meaning local authorities now have a legal duty to make period products available for free, and in their role as education authorities, make period products available for free in schools.
In West Dunbartonshire, the products have already been available for free for almost four years, after the Council introduced the scheme throughout the region to eradicate period poverty.
Despite access being affected by COVID lockdowns and restricted footfall in many public buildings and community venues, West Dunbartonshire Council distributed 139,228 single use period products such as towels and tampons since 2018.
Housing Convenor Councillor Craig Edward stated: "The fact that these period products will now be freely available across Scotland is fantastic news, and I’m pleased that West Dunbartonshire Council was ahead of the game on this after introducing a scheme for our residents more than three years ago. This is now more crucial than ever before in light of the challenges being faced due to the soaring cost of living, and it is just one more example of the work we are doing to support our communities.”
Housing Vice Convenor, Councillor John Millar added: "The high uptake of free products shows that this is something our communities need, and the fact that residents can walk into a public building and grab what they need for themselves, a family member, or a friend, without judgement is a huge step in ending period poverty.”
An app was launched in January this year which provides locations all across Scotland that have public access to products, The PickupMyPeriod APP is available to download from:
IOS: Pick Up My Period on the App Store
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myperiodapp