For those of you who flush nappies, wet wipes and SAN pro down the toilet...

[TheHodgeoftheHedge]

Aibu to gently remind people that the only things that should go down the toilet (and sink) are bodily fluids and tissue paper?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-london-41238272
It seems to come up quite frequently that people don't understand you shouldn't flush other things down there.

The tampon packets instructions used to tell you to flush them. Tampax used to boast the applicators were flushable too. They fucking weren't

I only found out that I shouldn't flush tampons when i joined mumsnet too.

My mum always told me to flush the tampon, the cardboard tube and the wrapper (its what she used to do!)

There were never bins in the toilets at home either so it was a choice between walk of shame to the outside bin with a used pad, or flush tampon down the toilet.

never in my entire adult life have I ever witnessed or heard of ANYONE flushing a gawdarn nappy.... is it even possible ??

In fairness it's a bit harsh to blame people for flushing flushable wipes. Perhaps the manufacturers should not be able to market them as 'flushable' if they are not.

ProfessorCat I hope you done flush the toilet wipes as well ?

I think they were the culprits that blocked the drain when they got caught round the joint that joins mine to the main drain. We use Mooncups, washable nappies and wipes so I was not best pleased arse wipes from up the street were causing a blockage

I'm another one who didn't know you couldn't flush tampons until fairly recently (started my period in the eighties). I've used a mooncup for the last decade though, so hopefully I've redeemed myself somewhat.

Can't believe that anyone could think that flushing a nappy was a good idea though.

Who the hell flushes tampons/ nappies down the toilet?

The toilets in my local park have signs up asking people not to flush nappies, so it must be an issue.

I get to tour wastewater treatment plants every now and then as part of my job. I know, glamorous. Anyway, they have these huge spindles that catch all of the solid waste as the big brown river of sewage and outflow flows into the plant. The number of tampons, sanitary towels, condoms, fat balls, q-tips etc etc is just phenomenal. And it is someone's job to scrape out any of the solids from the spindles that get stuck. Before you flush, think of that guy. 💩🤢

I think the manufacturers have a lot to answer for (and should be fined for printing "flushable" on anything which shouldn't be flushed).

I bought some Andrex a while back because it was the only thing available at a corner shop. The back of the packet had three-part instructions on how to wipe your bum:

1. wipe with Andrex bog roll
2. wipe again with Andrex moist towelettes (or whatever they call them)
3. dry off with more Andrex bog roll.

So that's 3 times the necessary amount of bog roll, with one of the three times with something flushable. (And three times the profit for Andrex.)

Oh, and their "clean as a washed potato!" ads are stupid, too.

People, who used to read the packs that tampons and applicators are (ie were supposedly) flushable. greendale. I used to flush them 30 years ago as indicated. Somewhere along the line, I found out this was bad.

unflushable, I mean.

I only learned from MN about 3 months ago that you are not to flush tampons!

To repent for my sins I now only use reusable towels and a cup!

My mum flushes and I occasionally see the applicator and paper wrap in the toilet too

BurnMyBunnies is a great username

When we used washable nappies, there was a paper liner so you could just tip the worst of it down the toilet. What about that paper? It was definitely tougher than toilet paper, but without it the washable nappy would have been impossible!

I'm am late 50s. When I was young tampons were nothing but cotton wool in cardboard tubes and sanitary towels were cotton wool in cotton netting (the days of sanitary belts)! We could flush because they did disintegrate. It's the advent of plasticised materials that prevent things from breaking down that's changed things. Unfortunately, because we're the Mums to those who are in their forties now, they too were brought up thinking it was okay to flush, and it's gone down the line, without thought that the materials used have changed. It's a slow process but hopefully we'll get there eventually.

I have never flushed any of those. I have however, seen how gross it is when it blocks a drain. I had a manhole in my garden which got blocked due to neighbours flushing their sanitary products down the loo...it was revolting and the smell was horrendous!

In my first job as a bar manager at a theatre- I had to put my arm down a U-bend to pull out a nappy some dirty scutter had tried to flush down.

If enough of us ask the question will someone be able to answer:

HTF does a nappy actually fit down a toilet?

Who on earth would think that this is a reasonable thing to do?

There needs to be a public awareness campaign. I've hear of the '4 Ps' rule ie piss, poo, paper and puke are the only things that should go down the drain (whether toilet or sink, because fat down kitchen drains is also a big problem). I think this is a campaign in Austrailia, so they need to do something similar here.

I learnt not to flush tampons some years ago probably on here. Can i ask people how you are supposed to dispose of cooking fat? Anything that solidifies goes in the bin but what about used veg oil if youve more than a couple of teaspoons?

When I was young I had a neighbour who was infamous on our street (who shared a drain) for flushing her husbands shirts after rows.

I pour cooking fat in the bin bag when it is cold - or put it in a bottle and then put it in the bin - or take it to the tip

I was talking to a drain unblocker recently and he felt that most of his callouts over the past few years were because of quilted toilet paper - kept him in overtime.

We have a tank with a pumped sewage system as it is above the house, so I wouldn't dream of putting random stuff down the toilet

I never understood why people would think a nappy was small enough to down a toilet!

A relatives drains were backed up twice due to the parents down the road putting nappies down the toilet. They denied anything to do with it at first but they were the only people in the street with a baby and the council guys were pulling nappies out their drain!

Idiotic.