To flush tampons down the toilet?

[CluedoCat]

Until very recently, I thought most women did this, and I didn't see it as much different to throwing a wad of loo roll down there. I know the box says you shouldn't, but I thought this way something said but never adhered to. However, I have recently learned it's really bad for the sweage system to do this, and the advice is to put used tampons in the bin?

The thought of putting bloodied tampons in the bin and keeping them in the house is gross to me - I'd rather just thrush it away and that's that. One of the many reasons I don't use towels is because the thought of them festering is disgusting to me.

AIBU to continue doing this, and am I apparently the only woman who does? I've never blocked the toilet or experienced any issues.

I never knew you weren't meant to until I read it on Mumsnet!

The environmental impact of this is awful. Please stop.

What does it matter if you have stuff which isn’t very nice in your bin?

I'd rather just thrush it away

That’s a great typo for a tampon thread!

Wrap it up and throw it in the bin.

Now you know how bad flushing them away is you would be very unreasonable to carry on doing it.

Don't flush them.

You may not be blocking your drains, but you could be blocking those further down the line.

And more importantly, it's bad for the environment.

They aren’t meant to be flushed ... a plumber said that the only thing that should be used is toilet paper ...

Have you ever seen the programme about the fatbergs in the drain works ... eewww...

I never even had a bin in the loo until I knew about this from reading MN!

• flush

But why is it much worse for the environment than if it goes to a landfill site? Or am I just being dim?

Yabmu stop it! The environmental impact is devestating and just because your toilets not been blocked that doesnt mean they dont block the system further up and flood other peoples toilets.

You are unreasonable to flush them. They may not block up your system but what about further down the system? A relative works for the council and blockages are caused by crap like that and baby wipes. Think of the poor people who get to sort that out!

You might not have blocked your toilet, but might well have caused plumbling issues further down the line.

If they gross you out, wrap them up in toilet roll and empty out the rubbish regularly - or take them straight out, if you really can't stand the idea of them in the house.

Please stop doing this. It's really bad for the sewage system. Wrap it up in a bit of toilet roll and bin it.
Also, please don't flush wet wipes - if you do this.

And single ply at that .... the quilted stuff is a real blocker ..

You are a selfish idiot to think it is OK to continue.
Get some nappy sacks, put the tampon in a sack, and either empty your bathroom bin regularly, or place the nappy sack straight in your outdoor bin.

Some poor bastard will be fishing your used tampons out of the drains at the other end

Wrap and bin them you selfish sod

YABU it will block eventually and when they are scooping out your tampons in the access in the street you'll regret it.

Mooncup solves this. No grim waste whatsoever. 12 years of using not looked back

I have a septic tank. If you flush a tampon in my house it is likely that I will fish out your tampon. Or my husband will. Otherwise an anonymous council worked will unclog whatever septic system your plumbing is on by removing your tampon. Either way, if you flush you will not be the last person to look at your bloody tampon. You are so unreasonable. And ignorant.

Yes. They go in the bin. Ug I have had to fish a housemates one out of the loo that clearly didn’t go down and have watched a plumber pull one out of an outside drain. Putting them in the bin so much less gross. And cheaper than getting a plumber. Have you really never stuffed up the plumbing?

I used to flush mine.

Until the drain got blocked and Dynorod came out and there was a bloody tampon floating at the top of the flooded drain.

*YABVVVVVU! Honestly, this 'it doesn't directly affect me so why should I care?' attitude is the root of most of the world's problems.

When I was a child I always remember coming home from school one day to sewage running down our street. The woman at the top of the road had been flushing tampons and they’d blocked up the drains and were now happily floating down the street in all their glorying.

It’s terrible OP. Stop doing it.

@CluedoCat

Really good question. Why is it worse on landfill than sewerage?!

We were TAUGHT in schools by nurses to flush them! I don't really use them myself now but would avoid flushing since reading about it.

I was at the beach once, back when I was a teenager, and my lovely dog who loved chasing sticks and swimming came running out of the sea with a tampon string stuck in her teeth. I had to pull it out. It was vile, and I never flushed a tampon after that.

wrap and bin.
or even better get compostable ones and put them in the green waste.
or get reusable products.