What your BFF does with her tampon is disgusting
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But she'd think what you do with yours is gross too. It's the one secret that friends don't share: so - are you a flusher or a binner?
Over half of UK women choose to flush their tampons, and most of them believe it's the right, even the only, way to dispose of them. What they don't realise is tampons cause gigantic sewer blockages, causing raw sewage to overflow and tampons to float down rivers and end up on the beaches. Of course sometimes they block the toilet itself, flooding the bathroom - disgusting at best, mortifying at worst, especially if in someone else's house! No wonder binners are unimpressed.
Binners feel they're doing the right thing but it can go horribly wrong too. What if there's no loo roll to wrap up the tampon, or no bin to leave it in? They end up doing the Handbag Smuggle, a nifty manoeuvre that 52% of women admit to doing, where the tampon is wrapped up in a tissue or old receipt, and sneaked off in your handbag to the nearest bin. Nice.
If you think these awkward scenarios deserve to be banished to period history, then you're not alone. The inventor of FabLittleBag realised that women need a disposal bag that's fit for purpose: one that isn't see-through and can be sealed hygienically closed. And given that you're holding a used tampon, this bag needs to be useable with just one hand. Here's a 10 second look at how they work and what makes them so fab!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6QgUOgVo2Q
These biodegradable FabLittleBags are living up to their name and can now be bought in Waitrose, Ocado, Amazon, Whole Foods Market, and online here. They are also perfect for pads, panty-liners and wipes, even condoms.
But if you're brave enough, there's one more question that you need to ask your best friend, sister or flatmate: are you a flusher or a binner?
Done the Handbag Smuggle? Got a nightmare tampon disposal story? Share it with us and we'll send you a free FabLittleBag starter pack! You can ask to stay anonymous, we wouldn't blame you... ;) Email your story here >
Research from Mumsnet with 342 women in 2016. Read in full here.