Words: Sophie Berrill

Finding a bin in a public bathroom can be a daily struggle if you’re a man living with faecal or urinary incontinence. For Greg Ryan OAM, who was born with a rare condition called Imperforate Anus (IA) and wears incontinence pads, it’s a “needle in a haystack” experience.

“99.9 percent of the time I go somewhere, they wouldn’t have a bin,” he tells INCLEAN Magazine.

While women’s bathrooms are regularly kitted out with sanitary bins under state guidelines, men have not come to expect the same. Ryan says this affects him greatly. “If you’re having a bad day, you just don’t feel like you can leave home because you don’t want to get caught out,” he says. 

BINS4Blokes

Ryan is part of a mission to change this as an ambassador for BINS4Blokes. Spearheaded by the Continence Foundation of Australia, this campaign calls for incontinence product disposal bins to be installed in all male public toilets, enabling more men to get out and about. 

According to the foundation, incontinence affects over 1.34 million Australian boys and men. Thirty six percent of those men are under the age of 50. 

“Attitudes about incontinence can mean that people find it difficult to talk about their incontinence and get help,” says the foundation’s health promotion project officer Vicky Pentney.

“Many men do not talk to their family and friends about their incontinence and avoid situations where they cannot access a toilet easily. Incontinence can lead to social isolation, depression and anxiety in men, reducing their quality of life.”

Living with stigma

These effects of stigmatisation resonate with Ryan. He cites shame and embarrassment as the reason he lived “totally in secret” until he was 54 years old, never divulging his condition beyond his family or doctors .“The mental toll it took on me was just as much as the physical toll,” he says.

The catalyst for his disclosure was finding a private Facebook group in his early fifties that mainly consisted of parents of children with IA. “Up until that stage I had never known a soul in the world who had it. I thought I was the only one, because no one ever talks about it,” he recalls.

It took a few years of opening up within this private community, and encouragement from friends he started to confide in, before Ryan was ready to share his story more openly. In 2016, he travelled overseas to a conference and finally met others with IA. 

“It was the first time I’d walked into a room where I felt like I belonged in that room,” he notes. “I felt like I was an equal, because I always think that I’m lesser than everyone due to my condition.”

Enhancing social engagement for men with incontinence

Ryan has since shared his story around the world, written three books, hosted podcasts and founded the ONE in 5000 Foundation to raise awareness and understanding for IA. Despite his progress, and Bins4Blokes success stories like the MCG and selected Melbourne City Council-run facilities, bathrooms remain a regular hurdle.

The phenomenon intensified post-pandemic as Ryan found that more paper towel bins – which sometimes offered covert disposal of used pads – had been removed.

He stresses the impact an increased number of dedicated waste bins, and awareness about their locations, could have. “It’s not just the convenience, it’s the comfort level it gives you to know that if you have an issue, you can just go and change your pad,” he says.

What can facilities managers do?

According to Pentney, FMs can support BINS4Blokes by ensuring all male toilets have capacity to accommodate the installation of incontinence product disposal bins. The foundation’s recommendation is at least one cubicle equipped with an incontinence bin at each men’s toilet facility.

It’s also important for men to be aware of bin locations. Promoting and advertising BINS4Blokes will facilitate bin usage, greater access and remove the need for users to ask where they are.

“The last thing that anyone wants to talk about is their toilet habits,” adds Ryan.

The cost of installing an incontinence product disposal bin may vary depending on the provider nominated to service sanitary bins. Supporters of BINS4Blokes report costs to be approximately $25-$30 per bin per service.

The benefits of BINS4Blokes

With more bins for blokes and more awareness of them, living with incontinence can become less debilitating. This community can lead more active and engaging lives in their workplace and their local community, says Pentney.

“Greater access and participation will increase work productivity and improve the quality of life for men living with incontinence,” she says.

Read more about how to become a supporter on the BINS4Blokes website.