A Nottinghamshire woman has voiced her frustration over a lack of suitable bins in disabled toilets. Michelle Higginson, 38, of Clifton, says a number of disabled toilets that have pedal bins she and other wheelchair users cannot actually use.
Michelle said: "I know for some people it's probably minor, but for me in a wheelchair it's quite frustrating. All the disabled bins, even at the hospitals, they are pedal bins that you have to put your foot on to raise the lid.
"It's them everywhere. Even at our local doctors its the same, and I keep asking them if there's any way at all I can have a normal bin, as I want to wash my hands but I don't want to leave my rubbish in the toilet, and I don't want to have to touch the bin lid, especially with what germs are about - there's Covid and Monkeypox."
Read more: Being a 'nice' driver could lead to £1,000 fine
Michelle explained that due to the design of some pedal bins, the lift cannot be lifted normally, and has to have the pedal pushed to open it. She said: "Some of the lids don't even lift, and my hands are not great anyway, so there's people like me that might not be able to life the lid of those bins.
"The majority of them you can't even lift the lid as it goes in the lid itself, you have to push the pedal to get the lid up. The only option you have got is to bring your rubbish out with you.
"I've asked so many places. I just think that we should have the same rights as walkers."
Michelle often has to leave with her rubbish as she can't use the bins and doesn't want stuff on the floor. This is an issue many people in the disabled community have been "struggling" with.
She says she has asked at her local hospital and several other places for a normal push swing lid bin to be added to the disabled toilets.
Michelle said: "You get looked at like you are mad, like you are asking for the world. They say oh no they won't put one in there just for wheelchair users, but why as we need to be just as clean as walkers do.
"The doctors is the same, Lidl, Aldi, you wouldn't believe the amount of places that actually have got a disabled sticker with the wheelchair, but 90% of them have a pedal bin. We just want a bin that's all. "
In addition to wheelchair users, Michelle also explained that the pedal bins can be an issue for the older generation, especially those that may struggle with their legs and keeping balance.
Another Nottinghamshire resident, Kate Bentley, is also a wheelchair user and agrees with Michelle. Kate said: "I have that problem so I use hand gel from my bag.
"They all seem to have the same bins in disabled toilets, yet some of us cannot use our legs."
Read next:
