Keep a trash can next to the toilet for wipes, cotton swabs, tampons, sanitary napkins, dental floss, and condoms. All of these items can be disposed of as regular household wastes.
Flush only toilet paper and human waste.
Protect your low-pressure wastewater disposal system(PDF, 3MB) and gravity system to prevent your house plumbing lines from clogging.
Why can't tampons be flushed down a septic system? Tampons, as well as many other sanitary items, are made of a combination of cotton, synthetic rayon and/or plastic (among other things). These materials are not designed to be flushed down a septic system and do not properly dissolve.
To save you embarrassment and avoid having to report a blocked toilet at a festival where thousands of other people are using these porta potties, you should avoid flushing any sanitary waste down these toilets. These include tampons, pads, and other feminine hygiene items.
Tampons and pads are designed to absorb without disintegrating. When flushed, menstrual products expand, causing plumbing problems. Paper towels. Like menstrual products, paper towels are designed to absorb water.
While there are some brands that claim to offer flushable tampon products, these can still be damaging to sewer pipes. The reason behind this is simple. Tampons do not break down in the toilet the same way that your everyday toilet paper does.
“You might clog up the plumbing system and it's bad for the environment,” Kotex states, while Tampax says, “Tampons cannot be processed by wastewater-treatment facilities and they can harm septic systems.” Playtex is seemingly an outlier, instructing customers to “flush the used tampon or place in an appropriate waste ...
Tampons are bad for your septic system. They will not decompose in the system, and they can get stuck in the baffles and the inlet and outlet of the tank. In restrooms that provide containers for feminine products, dispose of them there.
So, now that you've decided to never flush a tampon again, how should you dispose of it? Tampon disposal is pretty straight-forward, you can simply wrap your used tampon up in toilet paper and throw away used tampons in the garbage bin or trash.
The only business that must provide public restrooms (meaning for their customers, not the public at large) are sit down food establishments. If a resturant has a location for you to sit and eat or drink then by code they must have restroom facilities for their patrons.
Treatment plants effectively remove toilet paper from wastewater, but all other garbage should go in the trash can. These Items belong in the trash can. The only thing you should ever flush down a toilet is human waste (urine and feces) and toilet paper.
Most toilets meet the testing specifications after flushing them once or twice. Furthermore, based on Department of Energy data, they calculated that the standard 1.6 gallon toilet costs 1.3 cents to flush.
Around 20% of women routinely flush tampons down the toilet when away from home. Some women and menstruators might be thinking that it's the most hygienic solution to tampon disposal if they can't see a better menstrual waste disposal unit in immediate reach.
Proper disposal
Tampons should not be flushed down the toilet. Flushing tampons can lead to plumbing issues and environmental problems. Instead, dispose of used tampons in a trash bin. If you prefer more eco-friendly options, consider using menstrual cups, menstrual discs, reusable cloth pads, or biodegradable tampons.
You can safely wear tampons for four to eight hours. So, you can use one while sleeping. But if you'll be sleeping longer than eight hours, use an alternative period product. Then, use a tampon when you're awake.
As mentioned, tampons can cause blockages in pipes and sewers. Despite containing materials that are biodegradable, they still don't break down fast enough in water!
Toxic shock syndrome affects 1 in every 100,000 people. TSS is more common in people assigned female at birth (AFAB), but it can affect anyone. Until the 1990s, it was most commonly associated with people using super-absorbent tampons during their period.
Rubber will not break down within the system, so flushing condoms may put a septic system in danger. The materials that are used to make disposable diapers and tampons may be deemed biodegradable, but that doesn't mean that they are good for the system overall.
Can I flush tampons if I have a septic tank? Yes, if you're using 100% cotton tampons, these can biodegrade in septic tanks or composting toilets. No, if you're using conventional tampons, usually made with plastic overwraps that interfere with the tampons breaking up and biodegrading.
Non-biodegradable Biodegrading
The most common side effect associated with flushing feminine products – tampons and especially pads – into your septic system is causing your septic tank to become full more quickly, requiring you to pump your system out much more frequently than you would expect.
Will drain cleaner dissolve tampons? Drain cleaning products might dissolve the tampon enough to flush, but it will ultimately create the same problems for your septic system. It is important to avoid flushing tampons altogether and dispose of them in the trash instead.
But plumbers and the people who run city sewer systems are pretty clear on this: we really shouldn't be flushing tampons. So it's best to throw your tampon in the garbage (pro tip: get one with a lid or keep the bathroom door closed if you have a curious dog!) instead of flushing it.
Short answer, no. Tampons are designed to absorb liquids and not break down. These are not the properties of something you want to flush. Tampons will not break down in the sewer lines and can clump together with other items and cause blockages.
The best way to dispose of a tampon is to wrap it in toilet paper and toss it in the trash. Most public restrooms have those little boxes for disposing of sanitary products because you aren't supposed to flush 'em.