Volksstimme: Why Magdeburg medical students are developing dispensers for tampons and sanitary pads

No taboo: Hygiene items such as sanitary pads and tampons should be part of the standard equipment in public toilets. Two Magdeburg students developed a box for this purpose - with many advantages.

By Anja Guse May 17, 2021, 00:40

Magdeburg - It already exists on the Magdeburg medical campus - a dispenser for menstrual products. Students Katharina Weißig and Corvin Groß have installed the box for sanitary pads and tampons in the women's toilet in the library. But that's not all. They also developed this dispenser themselves. And in doing so, they hit a nerve of the times.

Back in March 2021, the Left Party faction in the city council submitted a motion on the subject. The goal: Menstrual products such as sanitary pads, tampons and panty liners should be made available free of charge to children and young people in all municipal schools, municipal educational institutions and child and youth welfare facilities.

Laughed at by some Magdeburg residents or even mocked with derogatory comments on social networks, the faction wants to counteract the unequal treatment of women. Because hygiene products are an additional financial burden. In addition, the topic should no longer be taboo.

A sign of equality

The city administration sees it that way too. In a statement, it now recognizes the application as a "sign of social recognition and equality." While toilet paper and soap are available to everyone, women's hygiene products are usually nowhere to be found in public buildings. Dealing with this issue should be a matter of course in an enlightened society, it continues. As should the availability of the corresponding products.

However, the financial implementation is critical. There is no legal regulation. This means that equipping toilets with period products would be a voluntary service. So far, this has not been provided for in the city budget. There is also no empirical evidence. How much will the equipment cost in the end?

Medical students Corvin Groß (23) and Katharina Weißig (22) know the answer. Their combination dispenser for tampons and sanitary pads costs less than 100 euros. They were able to reduce their own development to this price. They worked on their product for several weeks. They wanted to do better than the offers that had existed up to now, driven by the idea of ​​being able to offer free menstrual products on their campus with the support of the student council and later the university management - following the example of Scotland.

Parts for prototypes made with 3D printers

During their research, the students from Berlin only came across products that did not meet their requirements. Either the dispensers were made of plastic and therefore too unhygienic and not sustainable. Or the more professional boxes, at around 500 euros, were too expensive to buy, maintain and refill. In addition, these dispensers often require electricity and are linked to products from certain manufacturers.

The two students used the semester break in winter to build a prototype. At first they made cardboard models, later the two developed a model made of a type of plastic with the help of a 3D printer. The printer spat out the parts for it overnight.

For Corvin Groß, it was not the first project of this kind. "I have been trying out a lot of model technology since I was young. My hobby was model flying, among other things," says the aspiring doctor. As soon as the first box was ready, the students had their dispenser made by a company from two millimeter thick stainless steel. "The company lasers the pieces from a plate and bends them. There are two to three parts per dispenser, which we then assemble," reports Corvin Groß.

100 tampons and 40 sanitary pads fit into one dispenser

At the end of April, they installed the first combo box in the women's restroom of their university library. The module consists of a dispenser for up to 100 tampons and 40 sanitary pads. The size and brand of the products are not important. The boxes do not require electricity. A slot on the side shows how many products are left in the dispenser and when they need to be refilled. There is no need for extensive maintenance. Name of the dispenser: Periodically.

The two students are on the road to success with their product. What initially began as a test is soon to be expanded. The aim is to equip the toilets across the entire campus with it, among other things. There have even been inquiries from other cities such as Hamburg and Düsseldorf. Now even larger quantities are to be produced.

"We have now registered a company for legal reasons. This means we can also sell the dispensers," reports Corvin Groß, who has founded a real start-up. The students want to use part of the proceeds to support institutions for those in need, such as homeless shelters and women's shelters. And who knows, maybe they will be able to