Government refreshes free period product scheme

Wall-mounted dispensers for period products will replace the small open-top dispensers in public toilets

A scheme to provide free period products has been refreshed and relaunched following feedback, the States of Jersey has said.

The government programme was first launched in September 2022 with the aim of making period products easy to access.

Following public feedback, the products would now be made available through three methods of distribution, officials said.

Minister for Social Security Lyndsay Feltham said: "All of this feedback has been extremely helpful and has led us to deliver a refreshed scheme which I believe will serve islanders much better."

She added: "We have also considered how the products are distributed to make sure they are done so in the best way possible."

The new distribution models are:

• Caught short: ​Vending-sized packs of two or three pads or tampons will be made available through wall-mounted dispensers

• Monthly supply: ​Larger packs of pads, tampons and liners will be made available through 22 community settings

• Reusable products: ​Reusable period pants and menstrual cups will be made available at four locations - Brook, Le Bas Centre, GUM and The Bridge.

To date, the scheme has distributed 55,000 packs of products.