Can you flush tampons down the toilet?

To be or not to be? To flush your tampon down the toilet or to bin it? One of life’s deep, most nagging questions. Can you flush tampons down the toilet? And, perhaps even deeper, should you be flushing tampons down the toilet? testing

If you ask your mum, sister, or friends, you’ll find that there’s a lot of confusion about this topic. A lot of people say that it’s ok to flush tampons down the toilet, and a lot of people say you can’t. We’re here to weigh in with the verdict.

Please don’t flush tampons down the toilet!

No shame, we’ve all been there. The oh-so-tempting convenience of pulling a tampon out and wanting to flush it down the toilet (especially in a public toilet) seems like the most convenient thing to do. But PLEASE do not flush your tampons down the toilet. Tampons don’t break down in the toilet the same way toilet tissue does; tampons are designed to stay in your vagina for up to eight hours and come out whole. They wouldn’t be an effective period-care product if they broke down so easily in the presence of liquid! Flushing tampons and other period-care products down the toilet can not only clog your pipes, but they can end up in rivers and oceans, harming the environment. Do your part and please don’t flush tampons.

So, how should you dispose of tampons?

Tampon disposal is pretty straightforward; instead of flushing it down the toilet, you can simply wrap your used tampon up in toilet paper or in the wrapper of your next tampon and bin it. Tampon applicators can be disposed of in the same way – both cardboard and plastic applicators. Just wrap it up and bin it.

The final verdict?

PLEASE put your used tampons in the bin. Good habits make a difference. It’s so important that you do your part to care for the environment by not flushing your period products away and disposing of them in the bin instead.

Tampon recycling – what you can and cannot recycle

Most local authorities collect paper and cardboard materials, so you can dispose of Tampax cardboard packaging in recycling bins that have been provided. Please follow the instructions for household collection as set out by your local authority.

Important: for Tampax Pearl Compak products, please remove the plastic window before recycling the box and dispose of it in your regular household waste bin.

Please dispose your tampons, wrappers, and applicators in your regular household waste bin. Do not flush them down the toilet. Like many products used for personal or medical care, they are not recyclable. While we continue to innovate for future solutions that reduce product waste, we are already taking several steps today to lessen the environmental footprint of our products:

• 80% of our cardboard is made with recycled material
• Some of our tampons include responsibly sourced bio-based materials like cotton
• We are introducing bio-polyethylene derived from sugar cane into some of our tampon applicators
• We are introducing reusable options to reduce the amount of waste disposed, such as the Tampax Cup.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.recyclenow.com or https://www.gov.uk/

If you're looking for full period protection, comfort and discretion, then tampons are your best choice. Not sure which ones should you choose? Well, for light to medium flow you can try Tampax Pearl Compak Regular tampons - they are free from fragrances and dyes, have a LeakGuard braid preventing leaks even before they happen and are easy to insert.