ISLANDERS will now be able to get hold of reusable period products and monthly supplies of pads and tampons as part of a government scheme to combat period poverty and reduce health inequalities.
The scheme, launched as a pilot in September 2022, aimed to support those struggling with the cost of living and offer an alternative to removing GST from period products.
This came after politicians narrowly agreed to reverse a previous decision to make menstrual products exempt from GST – meaning that Jersey is the only place left in the British Isles not to get rid of what has been branded the “tampon tax”.
The £600,000 pilot programme, which has so far distributed over 55,000 packs of period products, has now been updated based on feedback from focus groups to offer Islanders three different ways of getting hold of period products.
The first provides small packs of two or three pads of tampons for immediate use via dispensers located in 17 community settings and 16 public toilets. This aims to reduce waste by ensuring people only take what they need when they are “caught short”.
The second allows people to get hold of monthly supplies of pads, tampons, and liners from 22 locations across the Island, including pharmacies and retailers like Waitrose and the Coop.
The third allows Islanders to pick up reusable period products, such as menstrual cups and period pants, from Brook, GUM, Le Bas Centre and the Bridge.
This comes after the founders of a project to educate young people about sustainable period products called for reusable pads, menstrual cups and period pants to be included in the government’s free period product scheme.
Social Security Minister Lyndsay Feltham called for the removal of GST from period products while in opposition, although this does not fall under her remit as a minister.
At the time, she argued that GST on menstrual products was a “discriminatory tax” and that it was wrong to classify essential items like tampons as “luxury goods”.
Before stepping into her current role, the Reform politician also criticised both the former Chief Minister Kristina Moore and the previous Social Security Minister Elaine Millar for failing to act on this issue.
In August 2023, she branded Deputy Moore as “disingenuous” for giving her backing to a “disappointing” plan to scrap a previous commitment to remove GST from period products, saying it was “concerning that the Chief Minister can change her principles so quickly” while also claiming her predecessor “was not committed to the project enough”.
Since entering government, Deputy Feltham has focused on expanding the existing scheme, which now offers Islanders small packs of products through dispensers in community settings, larger monthly supplies, and access to reusable products.
She said: “We have taken the time to learn from the pilot scheme as well as holding focus groups to hear directly from Islanders to understand what has worked well and where we could make improvements to the range and to locations.
“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.
“We have also considered how the products are distributed to make sure they are done so in the best way possible.”
