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 🙈

I was brought up being told by everyone they're flushable. It was even on the packet I think. Also were told to rip the sanitary towels in half and flush each half separately too, if there was no bin. These were the old fashioned thick padded ones not thin and plastic backed like they are today. Can't image today's ones ripping lengthwise easily if at all.

@ScottBakula these?

Yes! I never used a sanitary bin in all my life. Because I used tampons and flushable applicators. I didn’t even know how sanitary bins worked. I thought you would see everyone’s used pads etc and I was always terrified of them.
I know better now of course but only very recently.

Because we were told that they were flushable!
We were told at school that we had to use the sanitary bins because the school plumbing couldn't cope with tampons. So I guess I just assumed the same in all places with bins. Plus domestic toilets don't have to cope with the same quantity!

I am 40 this year, have used tampons for every men's trial cycle since about 16, I did not know we weren't meant to flush them! I haven't read the small print on a tampon box since I first started using them and have never noticed it on the box. I feel awful now!! I've always binned the applicator but never the tampon itself.

I honestly thought this was something to do with the trans issues at first glance

I feel like this thread is a good place to mention that you also can’t flush cat litter/pet faeces.

I remember pads being marked as flushable is late 60s, I was told to rip them apart and flush. Ditto tampons. I did have an early menopause so probably saved a few thousand from being flushed.

I am 38. I am certain we were told they were flushable when we had the “period talk” at school. I can’t remember what my mum told me about them. pretty sure we were also told to flush pads too. Would’ve been around 1995-1996 ish

I always just wrap in toilet paper or the wrapping from the new one and put in bin. Can’t say I’ve ever noticed a smell

@Candymay oops, stupid autocorrect 😆

Biodegradable maybe, but they don’t breakdown in the sewer. They create blockages.

It definitely used to be advice that they are flushable. It was given to me as a reason why they are more practical when I was a teenager.

I very much doubt they were made without plastic. It's a more modern trend to avoid plastics. It was probably just a marketing and "not my problem!" thing by the manufacturers.

You were supposed to throw away the applicator.

I probably also started around 2003 so perhaps the advice was more mixed/patchy then? It's only really been the last 10 or so years I've been seeing info, mostly online, that clearly says even if stuff says it's flushable, don't flush.

And ironically, now there is a real "flushable" status that companies can get for their products - DH bought some children's wet wipes with this status, assuming it was the old marketing thing and expecting to throw them in the bin, they were totally useless as wet wipes as they were so fragile and instantly rip!

Since it takes a while to filter through nobody seems to know about this status either, so the old advice never to flush anything even if it says flushable on the packet is still the overriding one. You have to laugh.

(Proof in case people don't believe me)

https://www.water.org.uk/blog-post/a-wet-wipe-revolution/

Probably the 'maniacs' who started their periods in the 1980s and 90s when the instructions were that tampons (and the cardboard tube if you used Tampax) were fully flushable - and the instructions for disposal of sanitary towels were to rip them in two before disposing of in the same way.

As I then didn't use either for well over 20 years due to babies, Depo Provera and the Mirena, it came as a surprise that they were both now packed with single use plastic, which was obviously not flushable.

I'm embarrassed to say that when I first started using tampons back in the 1970s, I flushed them, as did everyone I knew. It was seen as one of the great advantages of tampons over pads.

I continued flushing them for many years before I realised that you shouldn't. I'm in my 60s now and haven't used tampons for a good few years, but neither of my daughters (mid 20s) would dream of flushing them.

Mid 40s here and was taught to rip pads lengthways and flush tampons. I haven’t used pads for years and never flushed applicators though.

Omg so IT’S YOU! There are literally signs everywhere that you can’t flush them.

I flushed them for about 20 years. I only stopped because I started using washable pads. It had never occurred to me that other women didn't.

I am old. Anyone remember the terrifying incinerator things in the toilets at school?

...or have I imagined that?

Yep grew up in the 90's flushing them and the cardboard applicators. So did my mum.

It sounds like the advice changed in the late 90s, so at least the problem should solve itself in the next couple of decades!

I wish we had more Public Information adverts on TV about this kind of thing.

Yes , that's the ones .
Please please don't hang it up like that. That poor bird I saw must of been absolutely terrified and died of a heart attack before I could get near it to rescue him .

The companies that marketed them as flushable need to do a campaign to say they were wrong.... but I expect their lawyers wouldn't approve it.

I'm 39 and we were definitely taught at school both the tampon and applicator were flushable.

I only found out they weren't flushable in the last 10 years. So spent 15+ years flushing them (not the applicators mind, since they changed to plastic).

I always flush mine, I'm 51 this year. Sanitary towels used to be flushable too, I used Bodyform and it instructed you to rip it and flush 😳
I'm away to check my Tampon box.

Too busy making ads about stuffing things up vaginas to bother themselves about that kind of thing.