Residents using Canvey Island’s youth group and foodbanks are now being offered free, reusable period products. This will help prevent the use of disposable sanitary items and encourage sustainable alternatives.
Our BLUEPRINT to a Circular Economy Project has partnered with Hey Girls and Yellow Door to supply these essential reusable products.
Single-use period products contribute 200,000 tonnes to landfill in the UK every year. That’s equivalent to 1,000 blue whales - the largest creature on earth. Most single-use period products are also made up of around 90% plastic and take up to 1,000 years to break down.
Free training will be provided so that residents have the information they need to make the sustainable switch. This includes advice on how to use and care for the various products correctly.
Councillor Louise McKinlay, ECC’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community, Equality, Partnership and Performance, said: “By rolling out this important collaboration with Yellow Door, we’re supporting residents to make sustainable decisions. Opting for environmentally friendly alternatives to everyday items means we can all make a difference in helping to reduce waste. Our efforts in Canvey Island also form part of a wide range of schemes that are benefiting children, families, communities and the environment there, as outlined out in our ‘Levelling Up’ strategy.”
Alex Hawkins, Manager at Canvey Island Youth Project (Yellow Door), said: “We are really excited to be working with the BLUEPRINT team at Essex County Council to offer reusable period products to residents using our youth groups and St Nicholas’ food bank. This will make a huge difference in helping those on Canvey Island to transition to more sustainable products which should be easily accessible to everyone."
The collaboration is funded by the BLUEPRINT to a Circular Economy Project. The BLUEPRINT Project has a total budget of 5.6m euros, 3.8m of which were provided by the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg France (Channel) England programme.
Find out more about the free products available or arrange a drop in by contacting Yellow Door.