Where should free period products be made available in the Highlands?

By Garrett Stell

July 7 2022, 5:00 pm

The council recently launched a consultation asking the public where else they want to see free period products.

Highland Council wants input on where to make free period products available this year.

Last year, Scotland became the first country to pass a law making period products free to anyone who needs them.

Highland Council is working with local partners to make tampons, pads and reusable products easily available in schools, libraries, leisure centres and other key public buildings from mid-August 2022.

The council recently launched a consultation asking the public where else they want to see free period products.

The public consultation and online survey ends on August 3.

Tackling period poverty and breaking the stigma

The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 requires local authorities to make period products “obtainable free of charge… by all persons who need to use them.”

This includes anyone who currently uses period products, as well as those who may need them in the future. Anyone who collects period products on behalf of others can also get them for free.

A Highland Council spokesperson said that the council aims to “tackle period poverty, promote period dignity, and break the stigma surrounding periods in Scotland.”

Period poverty is when individuals who need period products either can’t afford or can’t access them. Some sources estimate that one in four people in Scotland suffers from period poverty.

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, access to period products has become an increasing concern and multiple councils and non-profits launched attempts to make period products more accessible.

In 2020, with most public buildings closed, Aberdeenshire Council partnered with a charity group to create an online ordering system for period products.

And just this year, a new app called PickupMyPeriod launched. It provides users with an online database of over 700 locations in Scotland where free period products are available.