You’ve used your current tampons, you’re done with your sanitary pads and now you’re in a dilemma; “Where should I throw these things away?”. “Oh, maybe I can just flush them down the toilet or just throw it in the trash.”…..No! Please, don’t ever do that. It’s one thing that there is enough of hygiene issues happening around you, it’s another when you further contribute to it.

There is a good chance that you haven’t been able to figure out how to dispose of your sanitary products in a safe and proper way.

Your sanitary products are made of materials that require you to dispose of them in a safe manner. Here are a few tips you can follow:

• First and foremost, while handling used napkins or tampons, make sure that your hands are properly covered. Use any sort of plastic covering. (Your own hygiene is paramount!)
• Wrap your sanitary products in a proper pouch or the product packaging as provided by the manufacturer before throwing them away. Never throw out the wrapper that your sanitary products come in. They can be very handy.
• Discard the products in a trash can and make sure everything stays hygienic and clean. Keep two separate trash cans so that you can throw your regular trash and your sanitary products separately.
• Do not try and dump your used products in the flush as it can definitely lead to major clogging, overflowing and end up ruining your’s or someone else’s perfectly clean bathroom.
• Empty out your trash cans every 2 days or so. This helps in preventing bad odour and release of air-borne diseases.
• Never extend your use of a sanitary pad or a tampon beyond it’s suggested time. A tampon normally lasts for 4-8 hours and the usage for a sanitary pad lasts for about 4-5 hours.
• Lastly, always and we mean ALWAYS wash your hands after handling these products. Again, your hygiene comes first.

Disposing of sanitary products is part of the greater campaign for raising menstrual hygiene awareness in India. Menstrual health management is something we care about deeply. Make sure you keep your hood clean, ladies.