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.

Also wouldn't you need to buy miniature plastic bags?

I wrap tampons in toilet roll and bin them. I have lined and lidded bathroom bins

Please don’t, my garden flooded with sewage recently after a build up of wet wipes and tampons etc further down the line. It was revolting and flooded my shed. Huge lorry had to come and pump it out, al, the turf scraped off, everything disinfected.

There’s teams of people on standby to seal with it, ours were lovely but it was absolutely revolting, the dog couldn’t use that section of the garden, it nearly flooded my neighbours fish tank and the stench was really grim. Earlier the entrance to local nursery had flooded and sewerage was running down the street in the gutter.

Ugh.

If my mum, born in 1952, knew not to flush them, I'd be really interested to know how old all the 'I'm sure I was told to flush them' people are.

My MIL and SIL also claim they 'had no idea'.

It's all just selfish. And yes, there is a need to call it out as selfish. If people don't respond to information constantly available, the only thing left is to show them how disgusting everyone else finds them.

But why is it much worse for the environment than if it goes to a landfill site?

As others have said, use a menstrual cup or washable towels / tampons / sponges instead.

Generally flushed or binned they will end up in landfill but if you flush you will contribute to blockages and higher sewerage costs for all. Also in times of high rainfall that flushed tampon may well end up in a river / the sea.

I never knew this
I’ve always flushed them away

My granny was born in 1910 and it was her who told me about not flushing tampons so it's hardly a new thing.

Fond memories of Sanitary wear disposal bags being available in all public loos. I haven't seen any for years.

Also if they go down older sewerage systems which also collect storm water they will bypass treatment and end up in rivers/ watercourses and the sea. Much better for them to be disposed of in landfill

I just use nappy sacks, the cheapest ones I can get.

All sa pro, just put in a nappy bag and in a lined small swing bin in the bathroom. Not that difficult

It says on the box not to flush. I used to rip sanitary towels to flush as they said they were ok to do that at the time (I was a child so it was 30 years ago) Times change though and so do sanitary towels and now they should be binned rather than flushed. All packaging advises to bin them

I always do! Urghhh grim decomposing in the bin!

Have a look at the Museum of London's "FatCam" - www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/fatcam-watch-fatberg-live

That's a piece of a bloody massive fatberg, caused by flushing things you shouldn't.

Flushing tampons is NOT ok, ditto other sanpro, cooking oil, nappies, wipes, vast wads of loo roll or kitchen towel that you've used for a spillage etc... It might not block your drain but it is likely to cause a blockage further down the line.

I have always flushed them, my friends do the same.

Only MN made me realise this was not the thing to do.

I remember the school trip to the sewage treatment works. The screens caught all the tampons, plastic backing from sanitary towels, and condoms thoughtlessly flushed into the sewage system, that had made it that far.

And, curiously, loads of plastic bread tags (if anyone remembers those rectangular tags on bread bags with the sell by date)

It is worth knowing that since 2014, the local water company are responsible for shared drains, even if they are on your land. Look at your local water company website.

many nappy sacks are not biodegradable so you are just wrapping your tampon in plastic. wrap it in loo paper.
and worse than tampons - stop using bloody baby wipes, cleansing wipes, disinfectant wipes etc. Sheer fucking laziness and massively damaging to the environment
rant over

I flush everything down the toilet, tampons, nappies, wet wipes, Yorkshire puddings, dead cats you name it.
How I laughed when the whole street was dug up.

If you have walked past a river that has recently flooded and receded and see plastic in the bushes at the riverbank.... that's the plastic from sanitary products.

It's a thoroughly dickish thing to do. I have never flushed a tampon and i have been using them since 1987

I don't think you are meant to throw a was of toilet tissue down either. Thought it was about 2 sheets, 3 max at a time.

How thick do you have to be to think that tampon boxes and every public or restaurant loo just tells you not to flush but it’s not serious, it’s just some joke suggestion no one obeys???

Let me guess, you don’t recycle either, because ‘it’s a con’ and ‘no one does’ and you drop litter because carrying a chocolate wrapper when there’s no bin in sight is ‘disgusting’?

I don't use baby wipes and never did I used cloth wipes and I used cloth nappies. I don't use cleansing wipes I use those same cloth nappies and muslins and I have never bought a cleaning flash wipe. The world can do with me putting my tampons in a nappy sack.

ohne.co/dont-flush-your-tampons/

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?

So like it says on the box then?

Back in the day before the local sewage works was made over the drain from local town went into the sea. At the beach. On a bad day regularly you would have san pro bobbing around in the sea. Still the odd occaision where it reappears if there has been a blockage cleared. How is that better than landfill or real biodegradable stuff.

Also wouldn't you need to buy miniature plastic bags?
Wrap in loo roll and put in a bin, easy peasy.