Did you know you shouldn’t flush sanitary products? 11% of Canberrans still do.
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Over the years the landscape of period products has evolved significantly.
From pads and tampons to period underwear and menstrual cups, each generation has gained access to an increasingly broad range of sanitary items. For many people with who have a period, finding a product that works for them and making sure they’re never caught without it are all conscious decisions, but disposal options are often an afterthought.
A 2023 Canberra-based study showed that 11% of participants had flushed a sanitary product, with tampons being the most commonly flushed item at 72%. Considering that just under half of people surveyed felt there weren’t adequate disposal options at the time, it makes sense that tampons, small and seemingly harmless, are flushed so regularly. After all, who wants to carry around a used tampon until you can find an appropriate bin? Shudder.
But did you know that flushing tampons can have a big impact on both the plumbing in homes along with the pipes in our community as they expand and clump together, forming blockages? Ever put a tampon in a glass of water? Well, that large snowman-like blob excels in blocking pipes.
Icon Water’s team of Blockage Busters can attest to the havoc tampons can cause (along with other sanitary products such as incontinence pads, rubber gloves, condoms and ear buds) when they are found in Canberra’s pipes. The mantra of ‘flush and forget’ really doesn’t ring true when each item found in the pipes needs to be removed by hand—and with the rising cost of living, no one wants to pay for a plumber to rummage through their pipes if they can avoid it.
So, as Canberra’s water and wastewater utility, Icon Water has launched an educational campaign aimed at reducing the number of sanitary products being flushed. Yes—the bright and hilarious Free The Poo campaign so many of us have seen on buses, in shopping centres and even on the HerCanberra website.
As part of this campaign, Icon Water is hoping to highlight the need for bins in all public bathrooms. To accomplish this, they are working closely with the Canberra community to encourage the provision of safe disposal bins in both men and women’s facilities.
Period products are a reality of life for many of us, so having an open and educated conversation about what products are available, where they can be accessed and where they should be disposed of is vital for a healthy community.
