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Montgomery County has installed free period product dispensers in all county buildings.
Montco Chair of Commissioners Jamila Winder said the policy expands access to menstrual products and fights period poverty.
“It’s not something that people are openly talking about,” Winder said. “And so some of the challenges that people might have around this, getting period products, is maybe not as well-known.”
Pads and tampons will be available in all bathrooms in county buildings and facilities, including courthouses, health and human services buildings, parks and historic sites.
The policy benefits the more than 12,000 county residents of menstruation age who live below the poverty line and struggle to afford period products.
Pennsylvania doesn’t tax pads and tampons, categorizing them as “paper products.” But for people struggling financially, programs such as SNAP or WIC do not cover the purchase of period products.
Prices of pads and tampons have been hit hard by inflation in recent years. According to NielsenIQ data, average prices for tampons rose 9.8% between 2021 and 2022, while average prices for pads rose 8.3% during that same time frame.
A menstruating person on average spends $13.25 monthly on period products. That adds up to $6,000 total in the average 40 years of menstruation in a person’s lifetime.