Am I the only one who thought tampons were flushable?!

[sunseaandme]

I'm 32, and only recently have I discovered tampons aren't flushable. I always thought they were, I can't remember where this thought came from, I assume my mum told me they were when I started my period, but that pads were obviously not flushable. I feel so guilty for flushing them all this time (obviously I won't do it anymore!). Am I the only one?? I realise I probably sound like an idiot as it probably says on the packet not to flush them but I never thought to check 🙈

Yep I was told to rip in half and flush

I use a lined lidded bin and wrap in toilet roll.

Wrap in a bit of toilet roll, bin

It's a bit like looking after babies - advice changes over the years and the younger ones on here can't understand why us oldies ever did what we did!

I only found out a few years ago!

I remember them being marketed as flushable during my formative years, so that's my excuse (I'm 44)

Yes I remember that.

Tampons are biodegradeble.
Pick ones with no applicator or with a cardboard applicator and the only part that won’t break down fairly rapidly is the plastic wrapper.
although maybe sometimes they use polyester in the string? The body is always cotton or rayon or a mix.

There's probably a lot more plastic in pads and tampons these days so they dont break down as well. I'm sure bodyform towels said to rip in half longways before flashing. They used to have a hump too to make that part more absorbant.

I always bin now as does dd

Many years ago pads were marketed as flushable too, so I flushed them.

My Mum (in the early 80s) also told me to tear up sanitary towels and flush them too 😳
I stopped doing that a long long time ago but it was also Mumsnet that educated me about tampons.

My children can not believe it when I tell them I flushed them always. For 40 years. Along with cardboard applicators and paper. I feel terrible now but I’m sure they were advertised as flushable? That’s why I never liked the plastic applicators as I knew they couldn’t be flushed.

This^^

My mum also told me they were flushable (in the nineties). Then they realised they didn't degrade!

Rip in half and flush was what I was taught for towels and tampons were flushable. I've used reusable for 10 years and my DD's do too

I'm curious about PP's ages. I started my periods around 2003 and it was common knowledge then that they weren't to be flushed.

It would never have occurred to me to flush anything other than loo roll! Did you think sanitary bins were just for pads?

They are flushable in a technical sense. You CAN flush them, they will go, but it's been widely accepted for a long time now that you SHOULDN'T flush them.

I only learnt it a couple of years ago on here. I haven't used them since I was a teenager but I'm positive as well as being advertised as flushable, the applicator and packaging was supposed to be flushable too.

I'm wondering if the ones we had in the 80's were made without plastic? Can't remember if they were plastic backed?

I'm nearly 50
In the past they were marketed as flushable. They were probably made of more natural fibres then with less plastic

Another thing I found out was not flushable (a bit too late) was those paper liners for washable nappies. I thought I was being really eco friendly, but I wasn't. Had to switch to washable liners when I found out and they got really dirty. The liners were so much easier but apparently just clogged up the pipes.

Posting in case anyone doesn't know!

I always used lillets or own brand non applicator/ own brand towels

Born in 1984, started my periods 1992
It was my mum who told me to rip them and I'm sure it said it on the packet
At some point she then told me to bin them and not flush

I always remember being told that they are NOT flushable!

Guilty here too , I flushed tampons and towels from the late 80s through to about the mid 90s , I dread to think how many that actually was.
But as pp have said they were definitely sold as flushable

Slightly off subject but does anyone remember the peanut bird feeders that ware made of orange mesh/net that were sold to hang up ( rather than decant) , the same type that you can still buy onions in ?
I remember seeing a bird with its claw stuck in one in my neighbours garden , the poor thing was absolutely frantically trying to get its self unhooked , I dashed over the wall but the poor sod died as I got there.

Selling anything in them should be banned as they will sit in rubbish dumps where birds and other animals can get caught up in them.

Ok rant over , sorry to derail

@WhatWeDoInTheShadow

I had flushable biodegradable liners for cloth nappies, so yes a flushed them 🤦‍♀️