(Picture: Getty / Metro.co.uk)

You roll off your partner, get out of bed and head for the bathroom. But there’s no bin, so you just pull the condom off, chuck it into the toilet and flush – without giving much thought to the consequences.

After all, you’ve just enjoyed a nice session of sex and (hopefully) a great orgasm, so it’s understandable that your brain is on autopilot.

But, while we commend you on deciding to wrap up to protect yourself and your partner from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, it’s no excuse for flushing a condom.

You might not realise it, but even the occasional condom flush can be very damaging to the environment.




‘Our toilets eventually reach the sea, and anything other than biological organic materials cannot be broken down by nature’s recycling pathways,’ says Tom Hird, a marine biologist nicknamed the ‘Blowfish’.

‘While most condoms are commonly made from latex, a natural product from rubber trees, this doesn’t mean they will happily biodegrade in the ocean.’

Don’t flush these babies down the toilet (Picture: Getty Images/EyeEm)

Hird, who is also an ambassador for the Marine Conservation Society, knows his plastic (and how it affects the environment).

He says: ‘The chemicals added to the latex mix, which provide shelf life and stability, stop the condom from breaking down swiftly in the ocean. In fact, scientist are currently unsure how long your sexy sheath takes to break down in the ocean, but estimates put it at around 30 years.

‘In that time, the rubber johnny is free to go on a worldwide jolly of seas and beaches, and if it doesn’t get washed up on shore, then it is extremely likely to be eaten by an aquatic animal mistaking it for food.’

To clarify, this is not us saying you should recycle your condoms by washing them out and putting them back on again, like some people are doing.

Once having served its purpose, a used condom should be thrown away in a bin.

Condoms are generally made from two different materials: latex and polyurethane (for condoms made for women and for people who are allergic to latex).

There is also a natural lambskin type made from the intestinal membrane of a lamb, if you prefer a totally natural animal product over plastic, although while they are as effective as latex condoms in preventing pregnancy, they are less effective at protecting against STIs and HIV.

Majority of latex condoms can be broken down in time and as such, are classified as biodegradable, unless they’ve been coated with additional lubricant or spermicides which can affect how quickly or well the products decompose.

Polyurethane condoms on the other hand are made from plastic – but don’t recycle them with your other other plastic waste. Instead, Very Well Health recommends you wrap them in tissue and throw these away in the bin.

Same goes for latex.

Hird says: ‘Latex condoms have a much better chance of degrading properly on land, so after you’ve had your fun remember to dispose of your “old man’s raincoat” properly, by wrapping it in some tissue and putting it straight in the bin.’



When flushed down the toilet, items such as condoms, contact lenses, bandages, baby wipes, plastic bags and food waste can also contribute to the formation of ‘fatbergs’ – which is an industry term for a congealed lump of waste stuck in the sewage system.

Workers have to manually remove these.

If you’d like to see what they have to deal with, you can swing by the Museum of London where there are chunks from various fatbergs on display.

Think about the poor sea creatures, too.

Hird says: ‘Fish stocks are already dangerously low, and we have started to pull fish from the seas packed full of microplastics and toxic heavy metals.

‘The seas are not a cesspit, so when you next go to chuck away that condom, cotton bud or worse, just remember that when it comes to the infinite cycle of water on this blue planet – what goes around, comes around.’

Things you shouldn't flush down the toilet Food waste Fat, oil and grease Plastic bags Nappies Sanitary products including sanitary towels, tampons, applicators and wrappers Cotton buds Condoms Bandages and plasters Baby wipes Medicines, needles and syringes Cleaning wipes Razor blades Contact lenses Source: Lanes Group

MORE: Please don’t wash and reuse condoms and dental dams

MORE: Don’t flush your contacts down the drain unless you want fish to eat them

MORE: Did you know most chewing gum contains plastic?

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