Thousands of students are to benefit from extended access to free period products at the University of St Andrews thanks to North-east washroom services company, Perfect Hygiene.

As part of the three-year agreement, Perfect Hygiene has installed and will maintain 40 free- vend period product machines throughout the university campus, in an effort to make free period products more easily accessible for all.

The UK-manufactured dispensers are wall-mounted and are designed to hold both sanitary towels and tampons in packs of three to save contamination. They come in two sizes – mini- vend and maxi-vend machines and each pack is 100% recyclable and biodegradable.

Free-vend machines have been in place at The University of St Andrews since 2018. Perfect Hygiene has recently supplied 25 mini-vend and 15 maxi-vend machines across its campus to extend this service, almost doubling its provision from 22 free-vend machines.

Perfect Hygiene has had bespoke design modifications made to the mini-vend machines so that the user can see the volume of products on the inside – making it easier to know when the machine needs refilled ensuring products are always available when required. The University of St Andrews is the first university in the UK to implement this custom-made machine.

The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act was introduced in January 2021 and ensures that everyone in Scotland who menstruates can have reasonably convenient access to period products, free of charge, as and when they are required.

Steve Kennedy (pictured above), managing director of Perfect Hygiene, said: We are honoured to be working with the University of St Andrews in an effort to help make free period products more accessible for students.

These purpose-built dispensers are dignified and permanent – they’re not only fully integrated into the facility and its culture but also enable the university to be compliant with the Period Products Act.”

Perfect Hygiene is looking at a programme whereby businesses sponsor free-vend sanitary product machines and install them across various leisure centres and other community venues across Scotland. 

Perfect Hygiene supports washroom services, hygiene material provisions – such as dispensers, hand sanitiser and paper towels – and waste management services. It also provides entrance mats.

Perfect Hygiene and its sister company Perfectshine – a commercial and domestic window cleaning business – are part of the same operation based in Blackburn, just outside Aberdeen.

The University of St Andrews is Scotland’s oldest university, having been founded in 1413.