# Don't flush tampons you moron! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 31, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180 "2010-08-31T20:52:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/121 "2010-09-05T06:55:19Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > [(Dear sirs: I do not need _anything_ going all limp and useless in my vagina. Thanks.) I know this is the pit and everything but I just have to say that I love you. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnaminnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@Cinnaminnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnaminnamon)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/122 "2010-09-05T10:23:26Z")
Huh. Not so much contributing to the debate as giving an alternative view: in New Zealand, every women’s public bathroom everywhere is outfitted with Feminine Hygiene Product Disposal Bins, carefully designed plastic bins specifically designed for tampons and pads. They have special lids that don’t directly expose the content of the bin to air, even when you’re throwing your tampon away, and are filled with some kind of special chemical that disintegrates and deoderises the contents. The bins are set out, emptied and maintained by a separate company that deals specifically with the bins. Everyone uses them and nobody flushes anything except bodily waste and toilet paper. I have never used a public bathroom anywhere in NZ that didn’t have a tampon/pad disposal bin. This has made me confused about this thread. Are these bins not used in America? Or did I miss the part of the thread where they were mentioned? At home, I wrap them in lots of tissue and put them in a plastic-bag lined rubbish bin. Every house I’ve ever visited had at least a small bin in the bathroom/toilet room for this purpose. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/123 "2010-09-05T11:06:46Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > The one occasion I can distinctly remember no bin was in a squat toilet _in Europe_. Okay, let’s not get into an argument about which continent or country is sloppiest about providing bins. Just remember children: If there’s a bin, put the tampon in. Easy, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/124 "2010-09-05T11:15:57Z")
> [@](#): > > The thing is, I’ve lived in the US for over 45 years now and I’m having trouble recalling being in a public toilet without a bin of some sort. Aside from remote rural airstrips and the few occasions I’ve been forced to use men’s toilets I can’t recall that happening. Sometimes the bin is placed so as to be out of direct view when one is seated, but searching around usually reveals the location. In at least states of the US, health codes require a bin in the women’s room, or in any unisex toilet. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/125 "2010-09-05T11:59:58Z")
Yeah, but they’re not like these magical New Zealand things - those things sound awesome! ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/126 "2010-09-05T14:18:40Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > I can wipe my fingers with the .5 micron-ply toilet paper, but blood stinks under the nails. How do I pull up my pants and go to the sink with a bunch of blood on my hands? Do you want that touching your stall doors? > > I always flush. Sorry guys, but my periods are too heavy to dick around with that kind of stress. Here’s an idea: bring a ziploc bag with you. When the time comes to remove the old tampon, put your hand in the ziploc bag and then invert it once you grab hold of the old tampon. Toss the bag in the trash. Tada, no blood on your hands. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/127 "2010-09-05T16:57:28Z")
> [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > > [@Broomstick](#): > > > > The one occasion I can distinctly remember no bin was in a squat toilet _in Europe_. > > Okay, let’s not get into an argument about which continent or country is sloppiest about providing bins. Didn’t mean it that way - heck, the toilet was attached to a bar in a neighborhood built around 960 AD - it’s not like I was expecting modern conveniences. That’s why I brought my own toilet paper with me. I’m still wondering about these binless women’s public toilets that are claimed to exist here in the US. As I said, I don’t recall seeing them. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/128 "2010-09-06T00:08:05Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I’m still wondering about these binless women’s public toilets that are claimed to exist here in the US. As I said, I don’t recall seeing them. Yup- I and the others totally made those experiences up. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/129 "2010-09-06T01:10:47Z")
Hey, just because I personally didn’t have those experiences doesn’t mean they didn’t happen. I shared where I encountered binless toilets - I don’t doubt they exist, it’s just that I’ve very rarely encountered one. SO… where did you encounter public women’s toilets that lacked bins? I’m curious. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/130 "2010-09-06T06:31:24Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Hey, just because I personally didn’t have those experiences doesn’t mean they didn’t happen. > > I shared where I encountered binless toilets - I don’t doubt they exist, it’s just that I’ve very rarely encountered one. > > SO… where did you encounter public women’s toilets that lacked bins? I’m curious. I believe I said earlier (though, perhaps, it was in the other thread) that the most common place I encounter this problem is at various points along the drive from where I live and Las Vegas (a drive I make every two weeks). It’s the 58 East to the 15, all the way into Nevada. While some of the official rest stops are actually very nice, many of the gas stations and fast food joints are less than equipped. Granted, I don’t stop at every place every time :D, but when I think of this problem, that drive is definitely where I encounter it more frequently than not. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/131 "2010-09-06T14:28:20Z")
Tampons _ **aren’t** _ flushable? Really? I never knew. I thought those signs in public bathrooms referred to pads and plastic applicators. And I’m not aware of causing any plumbing incidents in the past 32 years. At least, not as a result of my Monthly Joyride (currently coming to a close - funny that I’m just now getting the memo on this issue). OTOH, though, I’ve clogged my Mom’s toilet several times. She has that extra fluffy, extra-puffy, love-your-tushy toilet paper with ridges and ruffles and goose-down feathers. Whoa nelly! ---
**Author:** ![Vision\_of\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Vision\_of\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vision_of_Love)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/132 "2010-09-06T19:29:43Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > > [@Guinastasia](#): > > > > Well I haven’t used tampons in years, so maybe I wasn’t using them right. But obviously, they pinched my vaginal region. I was just a teenager when I tried to use those ones. Ever after if I used a tampon, it was a cardboard applicator. > > No, I’ve had that too - it’s the little slits at the top. I prefer cardboard for this reason. I thought I was alone in this!! I use the cardboard applicators for this reason. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/133 "2010-09-07T18:46:37Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Hey, just because I personally didn’t have those experiences doesn’t mean they didn’t happen. > > I shared where I encountered binless toilets - I don’t doubt they exist, it’s just that I’ve very rarely encountered one. > > SO… where did you encounter public women’s toilets that lacked bins? I’m curious. Has anyone ever told you that you are _really_ good at passive aggressive bitchiness? ---
**Author:** ![Peeta\_Mellark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Peeta\_Mellark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peeta_Mellark)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/134 "2010-09-07T19:00:49Z")
I am confused and want to ask questions…and yet I fear. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/135 "2010-09-07T19:05:45Z")
Am I the only one who laughs every time this thread title pops up? Lack of comma and all that? No? Just me? Ok, I’ll be over in my corner :(. ---
**Author:** ![Peeta\_Mellark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Peeta\_Mellark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peeta_Mellark)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/136 "2010-09-07T19:13:36Z")
You could add a comma and a semicolon. “Don’t flush; tampons, you moron!” ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/137 "2010-09-07T19:19:08Z")
> [@Peeta\_Mellark](#): > > You could add a comma and a semicolon. > > “Don’t flush; tampons, you moron!” needs a period… ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/138 "2010-09-07T19:33:32Z")
> [@Cinnaminnamon](#): > > Are these bins not used in America? No. The majority of them are just a simple metal or plastic container with a hinged lid–either the hinged-at-one-side lift-up kind or the hinged-in-the-middle swinging kind. Or there’s no lid at all. > [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Has anyone ever told you that you are _really_ good at passive aggressive bitchiness? Bwaaaaaaaaahahahahaha. > [@Folly](#): > > needs a period… Don’t\*\*.\*\* Flush tampons, you moron! ---
**Author:** ![Peeta\_Mellark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Peeta\_Mellark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peeta_Mellark)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/139 "2010-09-07T19:35:54Z")
Don’t? Flush tampons! You moron… ---
**Author:** ![torie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@torie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torie)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180/140 "2010-09-07T19:38:54Z")
Don’t! Flush tampons? You moron! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-flush-tampons-you-moron/552180.md?page=8)