Plumbing Code update would offer balance of hygiene, privacy, and clog protection for public washrooms 

Public service announcements reminding people that “toilets are not trash cans” have grown in recent years, but one engineer is looking at the flushing problem differently, and demanding that women have trash cans in washroom stalls to protect privacy, not just infrastructure, when using feminine products. 

Barbara Robinson, president and founder of Norton Engineering Inc., says most people are surprised to learn that the National Plumbing Code of Canada does not have a requirement that women’s washroom stalls contain trash cans. This results in feminine hygiene products often being flushed down the toilet, creating clogs for sewers, pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants.

Robinson, based in Kitchener, Ont., suggests that privacy may play a role in the flushing dilemma. While bags for product disposal may sometimes be available in women’s washroom stalls, many opt not to fill and carry the bags out to the main area trash bin, preferring to remain discrete within the stall.   

“Women are expected to carry the soiled products from the stall in flimsy paper bags, in order to discard them in the trash can near the sinks. Practically, nobody at all does this,”  says Robinson.

She’s calling on National Research Council Canada — who administers the codes — to undertake a code change without further delay, “so we can deal with menstruation privately while in public,” she says. 

Mandating a trash bin within the stall would provide a safe and dignified solution to the problem, says Robinson, and no longer leave the toilet and other infrastructure vulnerable to flooding, backups, and pump failures within their systems.

“Private businesses, restaurants, etc., sometimes provide trash cans with a flimsy sign printed on 8 1/2 x 11 paper, presumably because their pipes get blocked by these materials regularly. It is not the responsibility of business owners to educate the public about proper sewer use,” explains Robinson. 

Not only would washroom stall trash bins protect toilets from feminine hygiene products, it would also provide safer disposal options for items such as wet wipes or cosmetic cloths.

Robinson says women’s washrooms need to be designed with “user requirements” in mind. She said that at least 30% of women’s stalls (this can be combined with the wheelchair access stalls) should be able to provide a sink, counter, paper towels and a trash can to provide the appropriate balance of hygiene, privacy, and clog protection. Hooks near the sinks for handbags would also be helpful, she says, in order to keep personal items free from germs.

“I want to underline that this is not a ‘wouldn’t this be nice’ situation, but an egregious oversight that has affected 51% of the population for half a century,” said Robinson in an email to ES&E Magazine.

Men’s washroom stall trash bins could be a further consideration, says Robinson, if facility owners want to provide the utmost protection for their plumbing. 

“Men also flush deleterious material,” she reminds.