It is proposed to add information whether a toilet has menstrual products available. It is to be used on the amenity=toilet node. This proposal is partly based on Proposal:Free period products. I proposes the usage of the tag toilets:menstrual_products=yes/no/limited
which describes if menstrual products are available (yes) or available in some way (limited).
It is proposed to add information whether a toilet has menstrual products available.
Thank you for preparing the proposal, it definitely fills a gap in our system. Looking into the details, I have seen paper bags in toilets where used menstrual products can be prepared for disposal in the bin. Maybe the tag can make it clearer that this is for the dispensing (or sale?) of the product and not the disposal of it, maybe by omitting „toilet“ or using a different word? It seems the „toilet“ prefix is not required and could even be misleading in some cases, e.g. because it is not in a toilet.
Generally, in the proposal „tagging“ section, listing all the proposed tags would be useful (I know they are there, but not in this section yet).
It seems the „toilet“ prefix is not required and could even be misleading in some cases, e.g. because it is not in a toilet.
So you would suggest to use
menstrual_products=yes/no/limited
correct? I am not opposed to the idea, I thought limiting it to toilets would make it easier.
I have seen paper bags in toilets where used menstrual products can be prepared for disposal in the bin. Maybe the tag can make it clearer that this is for the dispensing (or sale?) of the product and not the disposal of it
Regarding that there is a proposal to add the availability of proper disposal options in my mental backlog but I did not come around to writing that one yet. I personally think it’s sufficiently clear that the tag is targeted at availability of menstrual products but I’ll make sure to add a wiki entry once it’s done and maybe help apps like Street Complete to have a proper description
FYI: I’ll start the vote procedure soon as I don’t see any blocking comments (I’ll resolve the once in the wiki when there is no sign of further discussion). If you feel there are or have other issues that need addressing feel free to point them out!
From what I know, I believe the proposed tagging is not sufficiently detailed to be useful. I see several issues:
distinguish sanitary towels from sanitary tampons
make it clear what “available” is about (can you buy them? Are they there for free? → how do you express it, fee=yes/no?
the current tag could be confused with disposal bags for menstrual products. As every woman knows, you should not throw these products into the water closet, they must be put in the bin, to encourage doing it in a hygienic way, often disposal bags are provided. The tagging “menstrual_products=yes/no” could be interpreted as relating to these products.
I answered your questions already here/on the proposal page but I can do so here too for completeness
distinguish sanitary towels from sanitary tampons
As stated in the proposal: “While the term period products covers a wide range of items (tampons, pads, menstrual cups and period panties) toilets will likely only provide tampons and pads. This tag should be set to “yes” even if only one type of product is available as the range of possible different items is large (size/absorbency capacity of tampons and pads, features like tampon applicators etc…) and we can therefore not properly map if an exact type of product is there but the information will still be useful to most.”
make it clear what “available” is about (can you buy them? Are they there for free? → how do you express it, fee=yes/no?
It is assumed here (which is now documented in the proposal more clearly) that they will be available for free, similar to toilet paper. For other cases I think the vending machine tag is more appropriate: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:vending%3Dfeminine_hygiene
the current tag could be confused with disposal bags for menstrual products.
I think clear description of the tag should prevent confusion. Sources like wikipedia use menstrual products in a similar way, therefore don’t think there is a large number of people that would confuse disposal bags for menstrual products. I don’t see a better wording for the tag, but feel free to suggest one.
the vending machine tagging is about a feature, while I understood this proposal as providing a property. Usually if the property is describing that something else with a physical presence is available, we end up with also a way to describe the thing as a feature, e.g. waste bins, benches, water taps, atms, lockers, roofs, …
In this case it could be
amenity=dispenser
„dispensing“ unfortunately is taken, I am afraid this is a hindrance?
dispenser:for=menstrual_products?
The vending machine tagging is about a feature, while I understood this proposal as providing a property.
Yes, I think that is exactly the distinction I want to make: The proposal provides the property “free menstrual products are available, similar to toilet paper” whereas a vending machine in a bathroom that sells menstrual products should be mapped differently. Similar to e.g. an ATM in a train station. The vending machine syntax is already used and documented, which I hope provides a clear distinction between the use-cases.
dispenser:for=menstrual_products
I don’t think the dispenser syntax is accurate, there could be a dispenser like this but it could also just be a box in each stall (see picture). I think in the end both do the same and can be mapped with yes (or limited, depending on the position).
yes, they could have any aspect, the amenity=dispenser tag I suggested is only describing the function of the feature. If you want to describe the shape of the dispenser, we could use another tag.
The vote is over and the feature accepted I’ll continue to polish the documentation in the next days and really hope to get it included in StreetComplete. Don’t have a clue to do that so if you have done this before feel free to reach out https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:toilets:menstrual_products
I’ll continue to polish the documentation in the next days and really hope to get it included in StreetComplete. Don’t have a clue to do that so if you have done this before feel free to reach out 