Concern over use of non enviromentally friendly products.

JohnnyJ

Ileostomy bags the accepted way of disposing of them is to empty the content down the toilet before or after doing a change, then rinse the bag under the tap before putting into the disposal bags the suppliers send with each order.

If you are concerned you could contact you local authority that uplifts your domestic refuse and find out if they offer a contaminated items uplift and if they supply the yellow bags to put your soiled pouches in after placing in the disposal bags, the yellow sacks are normally incinerated. If they do, and my local council do, you may need to complete a request form and have it signed by your GP, but in my way of thinking where do you store the yellow sacks awaiting for the collection and would it be weekly or fortnightly.

My regime is to place the rinsed bag into the supplied disposal bag then place that bag into another stronger bag which are also supplied by my supply company.

Adhesive removers and barrier films come in aerosol containers but they also come in wipes but they are more expensive than aerosols. Some manufacturers are now producing both wipes that can be flushed.

Which brings me onto the wipes that are supplied by the supply company as part of the NICE guidelines these are not flushable and have to be disposed in the same disposal bag as the pouches. The only option is to buy paper tissue and flush down the toilet.

If you had a colostomy with a closed bag there is a pouch on the market that can be cut open to empty the contents down the toilet and after washing the internal pouch can be removed and flushed away down the toilet.

Do I have the answer afraid not.

Good luck in making your decision on having a reversal.

Ian

Thanks Bodach,

Just to make it clear, I always ensure the bag has been emptied down the toilet before changing same.

 To be honest, I hadn't thought about rinsing it before putting it into the black bag as there would also be wipes etc to dispose of as well. These are non flushable as you say.

I would  also place the small black bags into a larger plastic bag and not, of course, directly into the wheelie bin!

The yellow bag option sounds interesting but I'd have to make enquiries. However, I'm not too keen on the idea of storing the yellow bags in the house for too long a period either.

Hi JohnnyJ

I tried the flushable colostomy closed bags (there is an inner paper liner that can be flushed with the option of flushing the flange as well). The outer plastic cover is not flushable.  I don't like the fact you can't see into the bag at all to check what cheeky Bertie stoma is up to.

I had another go last week but the adhesive irritated my skin and the disposable bag refused to flush! So I've gone back to my lovely Confidence Be bags and I'm afraid my attempts to save the planet will have to be made in other ways.  I can't be worrying about the plastic in the stoma bags.

Liz x

Hi.where we live the city has an incinerator so my clinical waste is going to help heat offices and flats.I just bag it and put it in the black bin for collection.

 I must admit I was never advised to wash the bags out before disposal,does everyone do that??

Kath

Hi Kath

I wouldn’t have be able to wash out mine I don’t have a sluice sink. 
Im not sure how it could be done without one. It can be emptied

I remember thinking about my footprint too and tried my best to keep my waist minimal the bags were a necessity.

Id never heard if it until I read the Bodachs post.dont really think it is necessary

Kath

Morning Kath. 
I had concerns about my footprint and we are mad recyclers in the South west .

Everything is separated and put out in separate bins. My bags were a result of me staying alive so although I am a tree hugger I accepted that waste. 
Anyway if you think about how many females there are in the UK and once a month there’s stacks of sanity products. It’s part of our lives.

My daughter is really green organic and vegan and even she has to use products she’s tried everything else available and has gone back to products bless her. She spent forever researching and buying but if she wants to work she needs a product for the job. 

Don’t worry about it. I fully accepted my footprint grew slightly when I had Whoopi. 
by the way I’m using products now and it’s more than one bag every two days. 
How are you Kath? Xx

I hadnt thought about it until I read this thread.as I said Im lucky as general waste goes into the city incinerator and heats flats and offices.We still recycle whatever we can as well..

Kath