to ask...where do you put your used tampons at home?

[YellowCat3]

Okay, I'll fess up...for years I've flushed them [blush. I've never thought too much about the enivronmental impact as I thought it was the same as loo roll, but have recently become aware that I definitely need to stop.

But I don't like the thought of them lingering around the house. We don't have a bin in the bathroom as it seems disgusting somehow, and our only bin is in the kitchen. It seems beyond skanky to put soiled tampons in there. I just wondered what other women do - do you put them straight in the bins outside, or are you happy to have bloody tampons in the bins inside for days? Not sure if I am being OCD about this (probably), but feel puzzled as to the best way to dispose of them?

*easier

This thread has reminded me of something though; years ago I had a housemate complain that I had thrown some (wrapped) pads in the bathroom bin because her boyfriend 'might see it'

Jaques they incinerate plastic? Surely that’s really bad for the environment?

I used to have a bin in the bathroom when I used tampons. Would empty it at the end of my period and throw the contents onto a bonfire in the garden. DP never flinched (and was quite happy for me to hand him the bag on his way out the house, knowing full well what was in there).

Now I use a MoonCup and washable pads so I no longer have a bin in there. We rarely have visits from anyone who would need to use a bin, though I'd quite happily put a bag in there for them if anyone did. We wouldn't use one for anything else, there's no point chucking bottles and loo roll inners in a bin when they'd just have to come out and be sorted anyway - roll inners with paper and card for burning, bottles minus the lids for recycling.

they incinerate plastic? Surely that’s really bad for the environment?

Well there’s the million dollar question. They incinerate everything that cannot go into our recycling.

Absolutely it’s probably hideous for the environment but realistically otherwise there’s stuff I can’t get rid of.

Sorry....you burnt tampons on a bonfire in your garden?
I bet your neighbors love you!

Sorry....you burnt tampons on a bonfire in your garden?
I bet your neighbors love you!

I’m presuming you’re speaking to a PP but I can’t see the post?

16:12 Jacques (bonfire)

IncrediblySadToo

Thank you!! Weirdly I can see that post on desktop but not on my phone.

I definitely don’t do that!

A periods worth of tampons on a bonfire of garden stuff wouldn't be noticeable to a neighbour. So doubt pp neighbours noticed or cared.

Jacques. Are you UK based? I didn’t think any of our waste was incinerated, but maybe you’re O/S. Landfill is bad, but personally I think incineration is worse, but if you have no choice 🤷🏻‍♀️

I grew up on a farm - we weren't on mains drainage, and I was fully aware of how easily drains could block. (It was a bit of a revelation when I moved to a city when I went to uni - people call Dynorod, rather than getting their own draining rids out!) In winter, we'd put them on a fire in the house, in summer, they went into the bonfire bin. (We always separated rubbish - compost, recycling, burnable, non-burnable/collection. It used to confuse people before recycling took off.)

These days, I use a lined, lidded bin in the bathroom. When I go to other people's houses, I ask them. Sometimes, if I'm organised enough, I will take my own supply of Fab Little Bags, if it's someone I think might get embarrassed by me asking, but I don't use those at home, and mostly I am in favour of not contributing to periods being taboo to talk about.

I have been quite taken aback by how many on this thread weren't aware that flushing is bad - not least because this is a fairly regular recurrent subject on MN.

Are you UK based? I didn’t think any of our waste was incinerated, but maybe you’re O/S. Landfill is bad, but personally I think incineration is worse, but if you have no choice

Yup. Waste currently being incinerated as part of a pilot scheme with a view to building an incinerator in the area.

I absolutely agree - incineration is dreadful environmentally. Basically I recycle absolutely everything I can, but those little poly bags and - bizarrely although someone might know why - cereal inners can’t be recycled so I use those.

I’m managing to recycle pretty much everything else via various points in the little town I live near and we have some new points opening soon which is great including for contact lens and medical packing which is fab!

We can’t recycle food waste either but I compost for a neighbour who is a keen gardener.

What about reusable products such as a moon cup or a cloth pad?

We need to stop our disposable culture for the sake of the environment.

My “issue” for want of a better word with regards to environmental consciousness is I never know which trade off is better.

So there’s a shop that I can buy loose grains, cereals, dispense oils into my own jars etc but it’s 15 miles away. So is it better to drive and have less produce waste, or to not drive and have a little produce waste.

It was me who used to put tampons on a bonfire and trust me, the neighbours would have been none the wiser. We have an acre out the back and fires are always built far away from boundaries. And anyway, better that than the fish boxes (plastic crates) the hotel nearby would regularly put on their bonfire.

Loo roll, nappy bag and straight in the outside bin

Ours go in a sanitary bag in the bathroom bin.

Mooncups at work

Luckily we have a sink in the cubicle at work. My cup gets full to the brim after about 3 hours on my first 2/3 days.

I know some people take a bottle of water or just wipe it with loo roll, so you could try that.

One of my concerns with a mooncup would be using public/work loos, tipping it in and the flush not working with a queue outside...

sparkling unless your period is super heavy you don't need to empty it often, I only do it morning and evening.

nappy bag and bin

Ok - long term environmentalist here...you're all going to hate this, but buy unbleached ones and compost them? (I don't have periods as I take the progesterone pill, but if I did that's what I would do) Put lots of cardboard in with the compost, so it's the right consistency.

Fun story - a friend of mine used a mooncup and used to empty the blood into her indoor tomato plants.

Also, when I was having periods, I used Thinx pants. They are magic. Expensive. but amazing.

I flush them down the loo and trust they’re no worse than loo paper! I just couldn’t imagine wrapping and putting in the bathroom bin. The idea of a mooncup freaks me out! I’ve only just heard about washable sanitary pads - aaargh! Please tell me where you dry them?! I can’t imagine seeing anything less desirable on a radiator, pegged on a line or in an airing cupboard, especially with a few people living in the household.

I flush them down the loo and trust they’re no worse than loo paper!

Except they are. Much worse.