# How do you dispose of your used feminine hygiene products?



## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

??


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## Ape in space (May 31, 2010)

Dispose of them?? I put them on my altar and worship them.


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## Persephone The Dread (Aug 28, 2010)

I have a bin in my room.



Ape in space said:


> Dispose of them?? I put them on my altar and worship them.


Another amazing post. :lol I'll stop quoting you now.


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## tbyrfan (Feb 24, 2011)

Wrap them in toilet paper and put them in the bathroom trash can so nobody notices it and gets grossed out.


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## AceEmoKid (Apr 27, 2012)

I live in a dormitory, so I have to use a public restroom everyday (UGH). They have those little dispensers attached to the wall in each stall, specifically to dispose feminine products. So I wrap used thingies (in either toilet paper or the pad wrapper) and dispose of it in that dispenser. At home, I would similarly wrap my used thingies and toss it in the bathroom trash can.

To anyone who flushes it down the toilet: Curse you all. People like you ruin the plumbing. We had that happen to one of the toilets in the dormitory....took them weeks to fix. And it smelled like literal crap in there. ewewewewwwww.


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## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

So which is worse to see in the trash uncovered, a used tampon or a used condom?


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## diamondheart89 (Mar 21, 2011)

Flush em. I don't use pads normally, but if I do, I wrap them in toilet paper and put them in the trash.

IMO condoms are worse, because that stuff didn't come out of me. :b


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## Barette (Jan 17, 2012)

For pads I wrap them up and put them in the trash, then put the trash on top of the toilet so my puggy pup doesn't chew them. For tampons I flush them.


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## arnie (Jan 24, 2012)

I don't menstruate but am super curious.


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## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

I guess I'm weird cause I don't really like to cover up my tampons with toilet paper. Seems wasteful. I always just tried to aim the tampons so that they sink below other stuff in the trash. 

And if I put them in my trashcan in my room I just leave them completely uncovered on the top of everything. Same with the little can in public bathroom stalls. Just throw it in unwrapped.


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## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

AceEmoKid said:


> I live in a dormitory, so I have to use a public restroom everyday (UGH). They have those little dispensers attached to the wall in each stall, specifically to dispose feminine products. So I wrap used thingies (in either toilet paper or the pad wrapper) and dispose of it in that dispenser. At home, I would similarly wrap my used thingies and toss it in the bathroom trash can.
> 
> To anyone who flushes it down the toilet: Curse you all. People like you ruin the plumbing. We had that happen to one of the toilets in the dormitory....took them weeks to fix. And it smelled like literal crap in there. ewewewewwwww.


My dad was a plumber for a few years and he has stories of fixing peoples clogged up pipes and finding hundreds of used tampons.


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## diamondheart89 (Mar 21, 2011)

I thought you were supposed to flush tampons, doesn't it say that on the box?


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## Hekate (Jan 25, 2013)

I just wrap my pads in TP and throw em away.


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## Gwynevere (Oct 6, 2013)

I'm so scared of someone seeing it, wrap them in toilet paper, put in in the trash, and then push it down a bit, maybe cover it with another piece of toilet paper - of course that's at home. At school I just throw it in the trash without anything covering it, can't be traced back to me.


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## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

I wasn't sure where to put my used tampons at work. There is a public bathroom in the hallway with several stalls and another bathroom (1 female and 1 male) inside the company. So I mainly use the the one inside the company. Well, they do not put plastic baggies or anything in the receptacle for tampons. But they do have a baggy in the trash for throwing out paper towels. So I've been throwing my tampons into there. 

But a couple times I saw an unused paper towel just sitting on top of the trash like it was there to cover something. It reminded me of the time I forgot and left my used tampon completely uncovered and got a phone call while I was at work from my middle-aged Brazilian male roommate. He told me it was disgusting and I said, "oh sorry." After the call I giggled like a schoolgirl for 5 minutes and when I got home I saw that he put this huge paper towel on top of the trashcan like something had died. :haha I laughed for weeks off and on about that.

Did I make a mistake at work or what?


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

I'm super curious too and actually read the whole thread. Fascinating.


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## fanatic203 (Jun 23, 2010)

For tampons, I flush them. I know plumbers say not to, but I don't even use them that much, so I figure it's okay. For pads, I throw them out in my room.



diamondheart89 said:


> I thought you were supposed to flush tampons, doesn't it say that on the box?


It does, but apparently it's false advertising. :blank


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## Alienated (Apr 17, 2013)

Aren't you guy's afraid someone will take your DNA, and CLONE YOU ????

Creepy......................


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## prettyful (Mar 14, 2013)

youre supposed to flush tampons and throw pads in the trash. if you flush a pad, good luck with that!


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## Just Lurking (Feb 8, 2007)

komorikun said:


> But a couple times I saw an unused paper towel just sitting on top of the trash like it was there to cover something. It reminded me of the time I forgot and left my used tampon completely uncovered and got a phone call while I was at work from my middle-aged Brazilian male roommate. He told me it was disgusting and I said, "oh sorry." After the call I giggled like a school for 5 minutes and when I got home I saw that he put this huge paper towel on top of the trashcan like something had died. :haha I laughed for weeks off and on about that.


:lol

Late night laugh, thank you.

I'd have probably covered it up too, but I don't think I'd have called you at work about it (wtf?) :lol


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## Relz (Oct 31, 2011)

I use a menstrual cup now (and cloth pad sometimes for backup), so I no longer have product waste to dispose of. 
Back in the day, though, I'd wrap the pads/tampons in toilet paper and throw it away.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

AceEmoKid said:


> I live in a dormitory, so I have to use a public restroom everyday (UGH). They have those little dispensers attached to the wall in each stall, specifically to dispose feminine products. So I wrap used thingies (in either toilet paper or the pad wrapper) and dispose of it in that dispenser. At home, I would similarly wrap my used thingies and toss it in the bathroom trash can.
> 
> To anyone who flushes it down the toilet: Curse you all. People like you ruin the plumbing. We had that happen to one of the toilets in the dormitory....took them weeks to fix. And it smelled like literal crap in there. ewewewewwwww.


 You can't flush anything down the toilet these days. it's so bad, there is one toilet where I work that is automated! It's like light sensor or something. As soon as someone lifts their big behind off the seat, the thing flushes! Are we that lazy?!


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## Gwynevere (Oct 6, 2013)

Relz said:


> I use a menstrual cup now (and cloth pad sometimes for backup), so I no longer have product waste to dispose of.
> Back in the day, though, I'd wrap the pads/tampons in toilet paper and throw it away.


Is that comfortable? It looks really big.


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## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

Oh yeah, and OB tampons are my favorite. I have no use for applicators and other brands of tampons seem to be too long and less absorbent.


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## Relz (Oct 31, 2011)

Gwynevere said:


> Is that comfortable? It looks really big.
> 
> [image]


I find them way more comfortable than any pad or tampon. I switched a year ago, I've never had any discomfort and I'm a virgin. They're flexible and you can't feel them at all, plus they come in different sizes depending on whether or not you've given birth. You can also cut off the stem at the bottom if you're 'short' inside.
I first heard about them 5 or 6 years ago and was scared ****less by the idea of sticking a cup in there, but I'm really glad I gave it a try. ;D


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## Gwynevere (Oct 6, 2013)

Relz said:


> I find them way more comfortable than any pad or tampon. I switched a year ago, I've never had any discomfort and I'm a virgin. They're flexible and you can't feel them at all, plus they come in different sizes depending on whether or not you've given birth. You can also cut off the stem at the bottom if you're 'short' inside.
> I first heard about them 5 or 6 years ago and was scared ****less by the idea of sticking a cup in there, but I'm really glad I gave it a try. ;D


That's interesting. It looks like they're not very expensive for something that's reusable, I might have to do a bit more research on those.


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## joked35 (Oct 13, 2013)

It just occurred to me that such things can be considered to be bio hazardous. I never thought of it that way before.  Next time I see something like that in the garbage, I won't be bothered by it. I'll just think of the T-Virus from resident evil or something. Cool.:yay


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## Relz (Oct 31, 2011)

Gwynevere said:


> That's interesting. It looks like they're not very expensive for something that's reusable, I might have to do a bit more research on those.


Yup. I think they're pretty great, in terms of both cost, physical comfort, and convenience. They would probably be a lot more popular if they were more visible--if more people talked about them or if they were sold as widely as pads and tampons. That, and a lot of women are grossed out by their vaginas and periods which I think is pretty sad. :[

I'll send you a few links, if you want to research cups more.


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## caelle (Sep 9, 2008)

Relz said:


> I find them way more comfortable than any pad or tampon. I switched a year ago, I've never had any discomfort and I'm a virgin. They're flexible and you can't feel them at all, plus they come in different sizes depending on whether or not you've given birth. You can also cut off the stem at the bottom if you're 'short' inside.
> I first heard about them 5 or 6 years ago and was scared ****less by the idea of sticking a cup in there, but I'm really glad I gave it a try. ;D


I am scared ****less about them too. I worry that I wont be able to pull it out. Have you ever had trouble getting yours out? Do you ever get any leakage?

When I wear tampons I still make sure to wear a pantyliner in case I get leaky. If I use the cup I'd like to completely eliminate those pads because I get bad irritation. I hate them.

I hope you don't mind the questions


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## dreamloss (Oct 28, 2013)

Relz said:


> Yup. I think they're pretty great, in terms of both cost, physical comfort, and convenience. They would probably be a lot more popular if they were more visible--if more people talked about them or if they were sold as widely as pads and tampons. That, and a lot of women are grossed out by their vaginas and periods which I think is pretty sad. :[
> 
> I'll send you a few links, if you want to research cups more.


I'm really interested in trying that for enviro reasons 
Do you have to clean them out every time you change it though? Like how would you change it if you were in public? Also, which brand do you use? (sorry for all the questions xD)


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## KelsKels (Oct 4, 2011)

I almost always flush tampons and I never wear freakin diapers.

#deathtoeveryonesplumbling


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## Relz (Oct 31, 2011)

nomi said:


> I am scared ****less about them too. I worry that I wont be able to pull it out. Have you ever had trouble getting yours out? Do you ever get any leakage?
> 
> When I wear tampons I still make sure to wear a pantyliner in case I get leaky. If I use the cup I'd like to completely eliminate those pads because I get bad irritation. I hate them.
> 
> I hope you don't mind the questions


I don't mind at all. 
Cups are meant to be worn lower in the vagina than tampons and it's actually impossible for a cup (or tampon) to get lost inside you. Without getting into the details of female genital anatomy, the vaginal canal is only so long and your anatomy prevents any physical objects from going to unreachable depths. Length of the vagina varies slightly, but people who have a longish canal can buy cup brands that are longer/bigger to make removal easier. Plus all brands have a stem, ring, or ball at the end that makes it easy to locate the cup and remove it. Or if it turns out you're short inside, just trim or cut if off so it doesn't hang out of you. 

Without going TMI about the length of my vagina, I've never had any problems removing the cup. The only times I've had leakage when I left it in for a very long time on a heavy flow day. And it was more like spotting than a full on gushy leak.

I can PM you with more info and links too if you'd like.  I'll answer any more questions you have too.

If pad irritation is a problem for you, you could try cloth pads (I can share some info on that too). They're comfortable, come in cute patterns and don't have the weird plastic sticky itchy feeling of commercial pads.  Some people think a reusable pad is gross but it's no different from underwear. You just rinse them out and wash normally.


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## Relz (Oct 31, 2011)

dreamloss said:


> I'm really interested in trying that for enviro reasons
> Do you have to clean them out every time you change it though? Like how would you change it if you were in public? Also, which brand do you use? (sorry for all the questions xD)


I don't mind the questions. ^^

You don't technically have to clean the cup at every removal. Some people do, but I usually just rinse and reinsert. If you don't have access to water for whatever reason you can wise it clean with toilet paper and re-insert until you can rinse or wash it out. I definitely clean at the end of each period though. I've never actually had to remove/reinsert in public yet because my flow isn't very heavy and cups can be safely worn for ~12 hours. There's quite a few tutorials/tips on the subject though. Some people keep a bottle of water in their purse or just do the toilet paper only thing while some people have a more complicated method. Of course it's a lot easier if you're in a private single stall with both a sink and toilet inside.

I used the Lunette brand cup for 11 months and I just purchased a Fleurcup that I'm trying out now so it's too early to say whether I like it or not. Some cups work better for different people due to a lot of factors (suction, softness, anatomy, flow, activity level, whether or not you're given birth, and several other factors).

I'll go ahead and send you some links that explain all this a lot better than I can, lol. I can continue to answer questions you have, though.


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## Mochyn (Jan 6, 2014)

Wow I never considered this a debatable subject, I thought it all went in the specially provided bin, maybe that's because it's a legal requirement to provide sanitary bins in the UK (or so I've been told). I can remember it being drummed into us in school that you should dispose of nothing other than toilet paper (and the obvious human waste) in a toilet, it amazes me what people put down there, where you think it goes? do you think there is some kind of acid that completely dissolves these products and yet is harmless to the environment so it can just flow right out to the rivers, streams and oceans? Why make work for the sewage treatment facilities? Put it in a bin.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

Best. Thread. Ever.


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## lisbeth (May 18, 2012)

My university accomodation provides these "lady bags" free of charge. Dancing woman in a crinoline. I think they're the cutest thing.

But yeah. Wrap it up in toilet paper, put it in the bin. I never realised people flushed them. Really seems like a bad idea that would, as others have said, ruin your plumbing.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

millenniumman75 said:


> You can't flush anything down the toilet these days. it's so bad, there is one toilet where I work that is automated! It's like light sensor or something. As soon as someone lifts their big behind off the seat, the thing flushes! Are we that lazy?!


 When I was growing up I would sometimes stay the weekends with my cousin and his dad would poop and not flush. It was so nasty. I can remember to this day the smell.


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## wrongnumber (May 24, 2009)

I wish menstrual cups came with some kind of string. Really scared it's going to get stuck in there.


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## mdiada (Jun 18, 2012)

I don't use pads because they suck balls. Tampons are flushed though.


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## hazelblue (Jun 6, 2012)

komorikun said:


> So which is worse to see in the trash uncovered, a used tampon or a used condom?


That's a tough one. The tampon is visually more horrific, but the mental image with the condom is more disturbing. Either way, I really don't want to know who it belongs to.


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## hazelblue (Jun 6, 2012)

Relz said:


> I find them way more comfortable than any pad or tampon. I switched a year ago, I've never had any discomfort and I'm a virgin. They're flexible and you can't feel them at all, plus they come in different sizes depending on whether or not you've given birth. You can also cut off the stem at the bottom if you're 'short' inside.
> I first heard about them 5 or 6 years ago and was scared ****less by the idea of sticking a cup in there, but I'm really glad I gave it a try. ;D


I've had one for a few years but I've never used it! Would really like to say goodbye to all this disposable rubbish though. You've made me consider giving it a go.


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## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

wrongnumber said:


> I wish menstrual cups came with some kind of string. Really scared it's going to get stuck in there.


It has that long tube thingy so I guess you just pull on that.


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## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

You should put them in a baggie and sell them on Craigslist to guys that have a fetish for it.


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## cosmicslop (Nov 24, 2012)

Roll it up good. my younger sister once left the bathroom door open at my cousin's house, and their dog comes running in the trashcan to eat her used pad. Pads are gross. They're just blood diapers. I'd like to try a cup someday.


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## wrongnumber (May 24, 2009)

komorikun said:


> It has that long tube thingy so I guess you just pull on that.


Oh I just realised looking at a diagram that the menstrual cup sits lower than a tampon does (and just noticed Relz said that). I don't understand how you could not feel it at all or how it would even stay in place. Bizarre.


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## Bert Reynolds (Dec 18, 2013)

I like to save them as tissues. It's cost efficient.


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## Relz (Oct 31, 2011)

hazelblue said:


> I've had one for a few years but I've never used it! Would really like to say goodbye to all this disposable rubbish though. You've made me consider giving it a go.


Glad to hear it!  Cups are really liberating, both personally and environmentally.



wrongnumber said:


> Oh I just realised looking at a diagram that the menstrual cup sits lower than a tampon does (and just noticed Relz said that). I don't understand how you could not feel it at all or how it would even stay in place. Bizarre.


Well, pulling it out using the tab at the end isn't the best plan. The cup stays in place through a secure but painless suction, but for that reason if you just try to yank it out with the tab/tube you will encounter some discomfort. I'm positive that most of the people who talk about "cup horror stories" only have problems because they treat the tab like a tampon string (it's not). You have to push in the side a little bit to release the air that holds the suction, then it will come out easy & painless. :]

The tab is mainly there to help you locate the cup if you have a long vaginal canal. In that case, you CAN use it to move the cup down far enough for you to break the suction with your finger, but trying to pull it _all the way out_ using that method isn't recommended. :no

I guess you don't feel it inside because the cups are very soft & squishy (made of medical grade silicone--_not_ the breast implant stuff), and the vaginal wall is flexible enough to accommodate it.


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## Gwynevere (Oct 6, 2013)

At what point do we just rename this thread "Ask Relz about cups"?


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## twitchy666 (Apr 21, 2013)

*The car given to me by my previous girlfriend*

is full of those products

glovebox
door pockets
ashtray
don't know where to put them

and in my bathroom cabinet and bedroom sock drawers and play toys on each windowsill


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## Perkins (Dec 14, 2010)

I wrap them in toilet paper or the wrapper it came with and dump them in the bin.


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