To be surprised that people flush tampons and towels still?

[Pipbin]

So many people seem to fail to see that it's a problem.

This program: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0419n5m/watermen-a-dirty-business-episode-1 showed why it's a problem.

How do you know you haven't blocked your neighbours drains somewhere down the line?

Our drains have been blocked by neighbours flushing tampons not cheap to have drain men out at midnight to unblock them all to stop the raw sewage that was leaking out of the manhole, all over our garden.

Worried about the environment pipbin and yet you dispose of every tampon / towel in it's own plastic bag which is not biodegradable?!

I don't flush because it blocks the sewers, not on environmental grounds. Anyway I use a moon cup and only use the bags for the one or two towels I use in a month. If that's ok with you.

I really do not understand how people do not know this.

What do you all think happens when the tampon has gone down the U-bend? They don't just go poof and disappear.

Once they mix with the cooking fat and human waste the fat can solidify this itself isn't too bad as water can break through. The real problems starts when things like tampons, wipes, ear buds etc. they all form a 'wall' and keep compacting. They cannot just degrade in that time. The problem just gets worse and worse.

I was just saying that I didn't know that you couldn't flush them and had been doing so for years.
Also pulling out tampons and having to touch them and wrap them up instead of dropping them in the loo is yuck.
(I will say "so there" if I so wish! Nowt to do with you, really! )

Neverquite, you can get menstrual cups on eBay for about £8.

I got one as a tester to see if I got on with it and it's been fine so far - about 6 months maybe? And you get a choice of colours

Never looked on Amazon, but I'd be surprised if they weren't on there somewhere.

Do people really not care about sewer blockages?

I think Thames water released a statement saying the blockages cost them and there customers in turn, 12million pounds a year.

Now that is only Thames water. If we all maybe got our act together and stopped blocking the drains, our waters bills may not be so extortionate.

This effects all of us, stop being so bloody selfish.

I've had a mooncup for years now so not an issue for me but before this I used lil let's tampons and the instructions in the box said they were flushable.

Just checked thier website and it states ''The tampon can be flushed away or wrapped securely and disposed of with normal household waste. Do not flush the outer wrapper or applicator tubes.''

No wonder so many people still flush tampons if it tells you its ok on the box. I think most people think towels aren't flushable but tampons are.

I don't flush because it blocks the sewers, not on environmental grounds

Well that makes it ok. As long as the sewers are ok who gives a shit about the environment!

Well, we would hate for you to have to do something that was 'yuck' just because of our pathetic little concerns about the environment

Thanks LeBear! It says you can flush them on the box though I checked.

i'm smugger than a smug thing with my mooncup. and although i never used baby wipes when the smalls were small i'd still have never flushed them. ridiculous!!

i used to flush lilets though. it never occurred to me where they'd end up.

I've been thinking of getting a mooncup, are they very easy to use? They're quite expensive aren't they? I don't want to spend loads of money and not get on with it IYSWIM.

So how is removing a moon-cup any less 'yuck' to you than removing a tampon?

You can purchase similar to a moon-cup for £8. There are a few other makes.

If you get on well with tampons why not just wrap in toilet roll and bin? I never seem to get any 'yuck' on myself and you wash your hands afterwards anyway.

Obviously menstrual cups are much better for the environment, they also work out much cheaper in the long run.

I had no idea they were so cheap. Thank you Cornettoninja and clargo55. I was expecting to pay in the region of £20.

If I'm not buying a branded mooncup, what should I be looking for?

YAB a little bit U, OP: I don't think there is much information around about it. My thinking (up to the point of reading this educational thread) has been : tampon = roughly equivalent to poo in size and break-downability, therefore fine to flush.

I will of course be wrapping in toilet roll from now on. (And buying a bin with a lid for the bathroom.)

The programme is brilliant, btw - thanks for linking to it!

Clargo it may well be yuck which is why I don't want to spend loads of money on it to try it. Thanks for the info.

never I just went with the first buy it now seller with decent feedback. I think there are small differences in the makes such as softness etc. but tbh I don't think you'll be able to really tell till you try anyway. All the sellers seem to provide a sizing guide so I wouldn't worry about that.

As a general tip don't buy 'used'

NeverQuite - I suggest the Meluna Classic, from the Feminine Wear website. It's just over a tenner, and very popular so there are lots of reviews online to help you figure out which size and which kind of "handle" would suit you best.

So I can't see the being shown in their full drain blocking glory on prime time tv anytime soon. which is exactly what they did on the program I linked too.

Do you know what's even more yuk than having to touch your own used tampon oooOooTheMonkey? Finding someone else's used tampon on the beach.

And what's even worse than that? Standing on someone else's used tampon on the beach.

Worse than that? Having your child ask you what someone else's used tampon is at a lovely day out at the beach.

So grow up love, and bin it.

So. There.