to expect a bin in the bathroom?

[IsabelleSE19]

Recently I've stayed with a very dear friend of mine and close family of DH's. Both households are very hospitable and I love visiting them. BUT. In neither case was there a bin in the bathroom, and in one of them there wasn't even one in the guest bedroom. AIBU not to want to put used cotton pads/buds and sanitary stuff back into my sponge bag, or cart it round the house in my hands looking for a bin?

I think it goes back to the time when sanitary towels were always flushed in people's homes. Some people haven't moved with the times on this. In other countries it's quite normal to have a bathroom bin or maybe a bucket with a lid near the toilet. It wd probably be odd not to.

Molly, a few have said they will flush if no bathroom bin so it's counterproductive from an ecological viewpoint as is councils cutting down on bin collections.

Depends how many guests you have as well.

but maybe more awareness might make people more considerate and make bins more usual
There is nothing on this thread that has made a persuasive argument that is greater than the argument around the ecological harm of all bathrooms having bins with bin liners.

I would rather increase awareness of the harm to the environment by using disposable sanpro and bin liners than I would make a few highly strung guests more comfortable when they have it well within their ability to manage their distress themselves. Using a menstrual cup or reusables or simply carrying a nappy sack solves the problem entirely.

I'm a very laid-back host. Friends and guests are welcome to use my bin.

This thread has further convinced me that I will never be putting a bin in the bathroom. Thank you for helping me confirm my position.

a few have said they will flush if no bathroom bin so it's counterproductive from an ecological viewpoint
An occasional idiot might do that, but that's nothing in comparison to the number of bin liners it saves.
And you can't flush everything. What do you do with the tampon applicator, sanitary towel or the wrappers?

So you get yourself ready for bed in the bathroom next to your bedroom then you go downstairs carrying cotton buds, floss, contacts lenses, sanpro, empty loo rolls, etc to the kitchen bin, then you go back upstairs to go to bed

Bathroom bin here, with lid and liner, emptied every week, never smells.

So you get yourself ready for bed in the bathroom next to your bedroom then you go downstairs carrying cotton buds, floss, contacts lenses, sanpro, empty loo rolls, etc to the kitchen bin, then you go back upstairs to go to bed
I don't use most of those things but any general waste (floss) would go in the bin in my bedroom (no liner) which is 3 steps from the bathroom. Recycling gets put on the windowsill at the top of the stairs and whoever next walks past it on their way downstairs, picks it up and takes it with them. We did have a small basket that went up and down stairs, but it's in use elsewhere at the moment.

And if you want a bin in your bathroom, have one. I don't think anyone here has suggested that you shouldn't have one. Whereas a lot of people have said that everyone should have a bathroom bin.

Might be tmi here, but several years ago I went to the same elderly couple's home and had the awful experience of trying to flush sanitary towel (because they had no bin) and the towel getting stuck. Their flush was (still is) so weak it just couldn't cope. Plus it's a cistern that takes a good five minutes to refill. So there I was, in the only toilet in the house, ST wedged in toilet bowl, waiting for an ancient cistern to refill whilst a small child was tapping on the door saying, 'Could you hurry up please, I'm really desperate...' When the cistern eventually stopped hissing, I ever-so-hopefully tried flushing again. But the ST didn't budge. Meanwhile, small child's dad could be heard outside saying, 'Don't worry Sammy, she'll be out in a moment.' At that point, I knew I had no choice but to plunge my hand into the toilet, retrieve ST and bundle it up in swathes of toilet paper. But the toilet bowl still wasn't clean enough for the next user. So I had to wait again for ancient cistern to refill. I eventually emerged from toilet to find small distressed child had weed themselves, both parents were there glaring at me and I had a horrendous package of sopping and bloody ST/toilet paper shoved up my jumper, and (with no bin), not quite knowing what to do with it

What a horrible situation Molly. I hope you learned your lesson not to do something so stupid and selfish ever again. You could have caused damage to their property because you were unable to deal with your own periods in an adult manner.

If "Sammy's" parents are reading this and recognize me, I'm really sorry about that day guys. Hope he eventually got the hang of toilet training (I guess he's about ten now...)

I find the concept of people thinking they can flush a sanitary towel really bizarre, why would people ever think it's going to work? And not clog the pipes somewhere if not in your home. You wouldn't flush a sock for example would you.

When I first started having periods it was common practice to flush sanitary protection. I'm not even sure when it changed. I don't flush by the way, also past needing San pro now.

All bathrooms in my house have bins with lids, making sure my guests are comfortable is important to me besides we have a septic tank so really don't want people flushing.

When I started my periods it was common practice to flush,it even had instructions on how to rip the sanitary towel first to make it easier.

We weren't aware of plumbing issues in those days

MyWineTime try and be a bit more sanctimonious , you weren't quite enough in your last post!

I agree, Dame.

I'll work on that Dame

No, but, really!

After one horrifying visit at elderly people's house (I mean, who stuffs an actual pad down an ancient cistern?), if you were visiting again and on a heavy period day, you'd go a bit prepared, wouldn't you...?

Same as Wtfdoipick. Tampons were flushed down the loo because it said you could on the packet. We didn't know any better. By the time I was better informed I was past needing sanpro.

We do have a bin now for DD (16).

"Tampons were flushed down the loo because it said you could on the packet. We didn't know any better. "

Yes, and when I was growing up there was no talk of carrying your used sanpro around. I'd never heard of using nappy bags before MN and why would I as someone who doesn't have nappies? Being prepared meant carrying sanpro, not carrying your own personal disposal system.

This was flushing a pad, not a tampon - and someone going to a house where they'd had a hideously embarrassing experience, on a heavy period day, and blaming the (second) inevitable embarrassment on the hosts still not having a bin! Odd, to say the least.

I don't go around with nappy bags - but if I used tampons or pads and kept having awkward experiences, probably I would.

Oh Dowager! Between the hand-down-toilet-resulting-in-distress-to-small-child-waiting-to-pee episode and last weekend's discreetly-shove-soiled-pad-up-the-sleeve incident was a gap of around eight years. In the meantime I had visited these batty but curiously binless relatives several times, but never at that time of the month. And I confess, last weekend I failed to realise I was supposed to remember to put nappy disposal bags in my handbag.

I am actually sympathetic - both incidents sound completely hideous.

But we carry handbags for a reason. Wallet keys, phone, disposable sanpro / mooncup, etc.

Mine also has an umbrella, sunnies, panadol, bandaids, earphones, and an assortment of lipsticks, not to mention a load of My Little Pony paraphernalia and forgotten receipts. If you do rely on sanpro that needs to be disposed off, a plastic bag of some description tucked away, probably isn't a bad idea.

When you carry sanitary towels in your bag, do you carry them loose in the bottom of your bag or do you have them in something?

I must admit that I'm surprised at the number of women who use towels instead of tampons or mooncups. I had never heard of mooncups before MN and was a Lillets user. By the time I heard of mooncups I didn't have the need for them, but if I was younger I would probably have one.

Iamastonished - some people are restricted as to the type of sanpro they can use. Even if they're not, they should be allowed to choose the type that suits them without anyone else telling them to choose a different one. Periods are hard enough to deal with as it is.