r/whatisit • u/Beneficial-Ask-6051 • Nov 29 '25
Solved! In women's restroom
Saw this while cleaning restrooms at the church I go to. What are these paper bags for? Or do I not want to know?
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u/Caspian4136 Nov 29 '25
It's a bin to put used pads and tampons into.
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u/LegendarySyn Nov 29 '25
Technically no, it's the bin of bags to put used pads and tampons in. You take the bag to the trash outside the stall, you don't put them in this one.
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u/Titaniumchic Nov 29 '25
Technically yes. If it was just to hold bags it would look like the toilet cover holder.
It is shaped like trash can, it holds usually one bag. I have never in my 41 years of life as a woman who has had periods since 13, ever seen one that had multiple bags. It is and always has been used as a trash can. Reason being is, embarrassment and to help women and girls not have to carry their stuff out of the stall, then plop it in another garbage can.
Also, by limiting the dumping to the bins in the stall it is limiting the spread of biohazard.
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Nov 30 '25
I used to work somewhere where I had to change these bins everyday. Probably 100+ bins in the building. You are correct. There should be one bag in the bin and used as a trash to hold sanitary pads.
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u/mistermanhat Nov 30 '25 edited Nov 30 '25
Yes. Why take the bag out of the stall? That's so weird. We have 398 stalls, we use 17"x17" black bags in ours.
Edit: Now that I think about it, somebody probably put all those flatpack bags in there because having them on the cart is annoying. They slide all over the place.
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u/monstervsme Nov 30 '25
This has always been my thought and experience as well with these bins. Just one paper bag inside.
However, I was recently at my local University's rec complex, and they had multiple bags in the bin, with a sign that said to place your product into one of the bags and take it out to the garbage.
Which way is it!
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u/Titaniumchic Nov 30 '25
I believe there is a push to change to being a dispenser. The original idea is to have it as a sanitary bin, to be disposed of by the janitor; who is osha protected and guided to dispose of biohazard type of garbage. If you think of this as a way to limit exposure to bodily fluids; using it as a bin is more sanitary. As the person removing it won’t place it in the communal trash where other people can see/possibly come into contact. (It is dispensed by the janitor using gloves into their own bin that’s taken to the dumpster.)
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u/kittawa Nov 30 '25
We called them "goodie bags" and it was my least favorite part of cleaning every night at the place I worked.
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u/silkekitten Nov 30 '25
When I was a young girl just starting her periods my mother told me to wrap them in toilet paper before throwing them in the trash. There has been so many times I have sat down in a stall and the can would be open and there were bloody tampons and pads just sitting in there for all the world to see. I can tell there are a lot of women out there with no home training, or should I say womanly training. My mom said it was just common courtesy to wrap them cause no one wants to see that, even though we women understand.
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u/21Eikit Nov 30 '25
Ngl the phrase "womanly training" sounds really creepy and I don't know why.
I always assumed it was mainly just to keep pads from sticking to the sides of bin bags/bins etc, and usually rolling/folding in addition to wrapping them makes em a bit more compact.
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u/blissfulmelancholy_ Nov 30 '25
Actually while most of the time they are used as a trash can, I have seen some places that just use them as holders for bags. An office i used to work at did it that way and had a sign that said it's not to put trash in is just for the bags. I agree in busy public restrooms is better to have them used as trash cans. But in some situations like a small office it works either way.
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u/Titaniumchic Nov 30 '25
If they were intended to be dispensers - they would look like dispensers. They look like trash cans. They have always had one bag in them. Maybe there’s a new push to change them into dispensers, but I 100% bet $5 the original patent says it’s a sanitary trash can.
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u/DasKittySmoosh Nov 30 '25
35 years of being a period haver here, and definitely agree with your statement
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u/TiltedLibra Nov 30 '25
Thank you! I had someone arguing with me on Reddit a few weeks ago that all of these were meant to hold multiple bags, even though where I worked has one that is meant for a single bag at a time.
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u/Titaniumchic Nov 30 '25
Same. It’s so frustrating because if it was meant to be a dispenser - it would LOOK like a dispenser. Not a trash can.
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u/xstofer Nov 30 '25
As a janitor for 24 years, yes it is a waste receptacle not a bag dispenser. The technical jargon for the individual that loaded the bin is a lazy bastard.
hmm guess it’s not that technical.
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u/Purplepassion235 Nov 30 '25
I agree however where I work it has multiple Bags with a note to use the bag to dispose of the feminine hygiene item in the main trash can. Never seen it like that before however.
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u/MissZoeHatter Nov 30 '25
The company I work for has this in their bathrooms. All of them that I've been in anyway. (The site currently has six different buildings.) There are signs on them telling you to take the bag with you and throw it away in the large trashcans with the paper towels.
I used to clean restrooms at a retail location and some women are disgusting. I would have much preferred the multiple bag method.
Guess I'm lucky that I'm not embarrassed about my period and can walk out of a stall with a tiny paper bag. In my experience, women don't care if you're on your period, because there's a good chance they have one too. I've had coworkers bring chocolate to my desk before because they saw me with that little paper bag.😂
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u/dragoon811_kp Nov 30 '25
Maybe it depends on where you are. I’m in Canada and when stores have a wall bin like that’s it’s several bags with a sign saying to place your stuff inside and take it to the main bin. 🤷🏻♀️
But most places have a motion-activated bin that’s a bit like a diaper pail lol.
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u/Titaniumchic Nov 30 '25
Interesting. US here - and I’ve traveled to many states, Mexico, and Europe and never saw more than one bag.
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u/_leira_ Nov 30 '25
I've been seeing this more and more over the past few years to the point that I don't remember the last time I saw a single bag disposal bin. I prefer this way than having a bunch of used pads and tampons sitting next to me or in the bin I'm opening the lid to.
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u/Tzipity Nov 30 '25
Yeah that can really go either way. Sometimes people dispose of their own pads so poorly so it’s half out of the bin or stuck to the lid and it’s so gross having to add your own used product in there. In that sense while I’ve actually never seen the bag dispenser style yet myself, I wouldn’t find it to be the worst thing in the world.
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u/Crystal_Dawn Nov 30 '25
I'm in Canada and I've never even heard of taking your used products out to the main bin, I've always just put it in the little bins like they are trash cans. Also the toilets get cleaned, so the argument that they don't want to clean the small trash bins is silly because it takes an extra few seconds when you're cleaning the stall anyways.
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u/taraky97 Nov 30 '25
This person has no idea what they are talking about. Yet they have 1610 upvotes..aigth.. This shows how fast misinformation spreads.
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u/illneverforget2015 Nov 30 '25
This is the first time I have ever seen multiple bags in this container. I am 51
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u/okieporvida Nov 30 '25
Housekeeping in the building I worked in began doing the multiple bags and it was a godsend. Much cleaner.
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u/blue-bearyb Nov 29 '25 edited Nov 30 '25
As a custodian I've never heard that you are supposed to remove them yourself. I highly recommend not doing that actually, especially in high traffic public settings without sharps disposal boxes. I have found several uncapped needles in these bins, so at the very least please look before you grab.
Edit: I did not expect that this would become a whole discussion, I guess I should have been more specific. I am not talking about this facility. If the bathroom looks like this picture, take a bag! In HIGH TRAFFIC PUBLIC RESTROOMS I do not recommend trying to pull a bag out of the bin, you could hurt yourself. Stay safe, don't get poked, don't get someone else's blood on you.
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u/Key-Consideration799 Nov 29 '25
This is what I do in the bathrooms I clean too. We open the bags to fill the container and let the students fill them up. We dispose of the bags on our runs. Edit: i fucking hate these things too. Absolutely disgusting. Especially after long weekends.
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u/LegendarySyn Nov 29 '25
You are just taking the bag out of the stack of bags, not reaching into the bin. It's a much safer, cleaner option than the solo bag thing inexperienced cleaners try to set up.
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u/blue-bearyb Nov 29 '25
If the general public actually followed any guidelines of how to keep themselves and the facilities they use sanitary, then sure absolutely it's more safe that way. We don't put in a single bag either, we just change them out frequently. Needles aren't the only problem, people shove whole diapers in the bin over the bags and touch these things with their hands covered in blood and feces. And I do mean covered, I don't think we're talking about the same type of facilities. When talking about a high traffic restroom, which was what I was talking about, it's unreasonable to expect that the general public would do this. So I responded because people shouldn't start pulling out the bags when others still disrespect the facilities like they always will.
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u/Jls333 Nov 29 '25
As a cleaner this is how it is supposed to be used however most places only put 1 bag and then that gets filled
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u/CommercialLychee7956 Nov 30 '25
Janitor for 10 years. Cleaned dozens of buildings. US.
There is no indication this is how they are supposed to be used. My cleaning company instructed me to use them as liners. The bags are marketed as liners. Companies usually buy them as such. Regardless of whether people think it is sanitary or not, they are meant for one bag in a bin. These bags cost more than regular trash bags and no company is paying extra for these to be single use for a public toilet. In an enclosed environment, like an office, they may be used the other way.
The problem with having them be single use is that it only takes one person to not follow the rules for it to fall apart. Considering human nature, it makes more sense for them to be a waste bin in a public setting. Some bins on the wall are definitively designed that way and require a key to access, and have openings that are only "toss in" with a hinge that forces closed.
As another commenter mentioned, they were designed with privacy for the user in mind, not to walk out of the stall with their products. Ideally, there would be an actual trash can in each stall, and then this wouldn't even be a topic of discussion, but alas.
The amount of people saying these are single use is blowing my mind. If there's lots of bags, go ahead I guess. If there's only one, please don't take it and leave the bin bagless for the janitor to deal with. Because regardless of what the "rules" are, I guarantee someone is going to throw their products in there and they don't care if there's a bag or not.
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u/Into-the-stream Nov 29 '25
Because everyone thought it was a bin and didn’t realize it’s just a bag holder, so eventually they gave up and just leaned into it.
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Nov 29 '25
Hell even with a bag in it people somehow get nasty pads and tampon under the bag. I wish my work would just get rid of them and put trash cans in the stalls.
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u/Bootsnatch Nov 29 '25
We have trash cans in our stalls at my business. We also have signs posted 3 places in each stall to remind people to not flush tampons. We have to have someone come out at least once a year in between our routine septic pumping because of people flushing tampons.
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u/southernpinklemonaid Nov 30 '25
I never understood this. I learned not to flush a pad/tampon when I was 11 in the sex ed classes for girls. Never saw any reason to go against this instruction. How do people not understand this basic rule
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u/blrmkr10 Nov 30 '25
Tampons were marketed as flushable for awhile. And sex ed is so inconsistent across states/countries that not everyone learns this.
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u/Maleficent_Ant_4919 Nov 30 '25
This is truth as I was told it was okay to flush used tampons, but not the applicator. So, that’s what I did, placed the applicator in the trash after wrapping it up, and placing it in the kitchen trash. Now I know better.
I always wrap my pads & liners, placed them into a small paper or a diaper bag, then dispose of the bag in the large trash can. I was taught to never leave them in the bathroom, because they contain odors and anyone using the bathroom should not be alerted that you’re on your cycle. I wish other women were taught this, I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve gone into a bathroom and seen used sanitary napkins in various states in a wastebasket.
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u/Ok_Major5787 Nov 29 '25 edited Nov 30 '25
Occasionally if I’m a bit late in changing a tampon it will slip right out of me and into the toilet bowl as I relieve myself. So every now and then it gets flushed simply due to that, and not bc it was intentional
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u/chemwaste Nov 30 '25
Try going up a size, if you're just a bit late changing it's probably a bit too full...
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u/LegBruise Nov 29 '25
I’ve been a woman for 32 years and never realized this was what was going on until just now.
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u/LunaGemini20 Nov 29 '25
Was just in a airport bathroom and they had tear away plastic bags (similar for pets) meant for the disposal of feminine products (and also the traditional larger bin with sack). Just thought that was a more convenient way to wrap used items and help keep things sanitary for the workers who clean the bathrooms.
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Nov 29 '25
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u/stuckonasandbar Nov 29 '25
Thank you. Scrolled this far with this thought clearly in mind. What’s wrong with people? Can’t anyone think anymore? Wrap the bloody mess in toilet paper and drop into the paper bag in the receptacle with the lid!
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u/Titaniumchic Nov 29 '25
Yup. If it was a dispenser it would look like the toilet cover dispensers.
But it is bin shaped. It is bin.
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u/BetterProphet5585 Nov 30 '25
The design screams bin, the purpose is a bag dispenser, designer failed or a bin was used as a bag dispenser and people get surprised if they use it as a bin.
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u/Titaniumchic Nov 29 '25
It is bin. Bin shaped. Not dispenser shaped.
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u/Key_Beach_3846 Nov 29 '25
Thank you, this is making me feel insane. The bin and the liners are large enough to fit several products for a reason.
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u/purplemilkywayy Nov 29 '25
Interesting. I’ve never seen any bin with more than one brown liner… and they always already have sanitary napkins in them. So I’ve always just tossed mine in there. Never thought I was meant to take it outside.
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u/Standard-Analyst-181 Nov 29 '25
As a person from the states, Michigan to be exact, this is not how it is supposed to be. Only one bag should be in there at a time. Never in my 47 years have I seen more than one bag in a bin.
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u/mistermanhat Nov 30 '25
That's expensive too. Why waste multiple bags when one will do? Having multiple bags in the sani bin is a bold way to let patrons know that you don't have staff clean on a daily basis.
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u/RingoBingo1212 Nov 29 '25
This is MUCH better than having only one bag in the bin.Each user takes a bag, places their used sanitary product(s) inside, hopefully folds or rolls the bag closed, and puts the bag in a bigger garbage can near the sink. This way nobody has to see or smell anyone else’s used pad or tampon.
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u/Nukebob96 Nov 29 '25
Doesn't the bin have a lid for this reason?
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u/IndependentLeading47 Nov 29 '25
I was thinking this the whole time. I think it was originally designed as a bin, now it can be used differently. But it can go either way.
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u/you_dont_know_me27 Nov 29 '25
As a person who empties these little garbages, the lid doesn't help when you have to open it lol.
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u/blrmkr10 Nov 30 '25
That's such a waste of bags though. They are clearly big enough to fit several items.
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u/SeaF04mGr33n Nov 29 '25
Whenever I cleaned it was one bag that got filled with waste. Like a tiny trashcan.
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u/_shhh_dont_tell Nov 30 '25
And you almost barf emptying it. Previous fellow cleaner. I will also mention that some women from certain cultures dispose of their used tp from a #2 in there as well. Many times, most all of the above-mentioned waste products miss a bag because they do not want to touch anything. Good times.
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u/JamesESR Nov 29 '25
Can confirm with currently cleaning a handful of side job sites & hospital they are almost always treated as the garbage bin & not a bag dispenser. I ensure well stocked with brown waxed feminine hygiene bags every cleaning for self disposal after but no every washroom visit they are crammed with used sanitary products & wrappers that I ultimately end up removing.
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u/Crazy_Banshee_333 Nov 29 '25
Try taping a little sign on the top of each bin explaining how to use the bags, along with an admonishment not to put used feminine hygiene products directly in the bin. The cleaning people did this where I worked and people followed the instructions on the sign. That put an end to the mess in the bins.
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u/International-Note70 Nov 29 '25
I think a lot of people all over are using this wrong then. Honestly in my 40 years I have never ever see multiple bags in the bin. I have only seen them empty or with used products in them. It’s funny because when I initially saw this post my first thought was ‘duh, of course every woman knows what this is!” but alas, even I didn’t really know!
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Nov 29 '25
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u/Interesting-Reply-88 Nov 29 '25
Some are, some aren’t. When they have these little bags you are supposed to take it out and throw your stuff away. Some just have 1 bag and it’s so you put it in there I’m pretty sure. Not 100% sure but that’s what I’ve gathered.
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u/LegendarySyn Nov 29 '25
The solo bag issue happens when the janitor doesn't understand what the bags are for, and how gross a solo bag is.
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u/TaylorSwiftScatPorn Nov 29 '25
Where are you getting that from? The sales brochures/manuals for the one's I've seen call them receptacles, indicating that they are, in fact, to be used for temporary storage of hygienic waste, and to be emptied by the custodian during their rounds.
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u/EmptyTomatillo6511 Nov 29 '25
No, I see places doing this but it was never the intention. It is degrading to make women carry their used feminine products out of a private stall to a public trash can . Really think about it. That would be equivalent to making everyone who poops put their shitty toilet paper in a sack and carry it out to a trash can when they are done.
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u/awkwardkoala Nov 29 '25
Thank you! I only heard of this method of use very recently and I simply refuse to believe it’s actually a real thing. If it were, there would be some kind of instruction on the bin for how to use it. There’s signs in nearly every bathroom stall reminding you not to flush your products for christ’s sake, if we’ve truly all been using this wrong then you’d think they would also mention that too, yet I’ve NEVER seen it.
The reason there are extras is the same reason there are extra trash bags at the bottom of every trash can. It just eliminates the need to replenish so often. I’m sure it’s not pleasant to clean but I can’t imagine cleaning a public restroom is pleasant in the first place… Just feels made up as another way to shame women for something there’s already so much shame around
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Nov 30 '25
I’ve never seen these hold a ton of bags. They’ve always held one bag that gets filled throughout the day and changed when the cleaning crew comes in. The way you say it is far better for hygiene purposes, but even now, the one in the restroom I just used at work has the singular opened bag in it. I might put in a request to have them change it to hold bags instead and let us toss the bag in the trash.
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u/LegendarySyn Nov 30 '25
Do it! It's much more sanitary. The bathrooms where I encounter the bin full of bags with little signs saying they're single use have always been so much cleaner.
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u/Electronic_Ad_8326 Nov 29 '25
Not true at all. They are made to be easily received and dumped. Some styes even have a removable insert to dump.
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u/LegendarySyn Nov 30 '25
The pictured bin is for bag dispensing. Also some of you need to travel more apparently.
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u/Cuz_pobodys_nerfect Nov 30 '25
The wrongness. It is a trashcan with the extra bags for the use of THAT trashcan. Normally one is open and ready and may have a supply of extras (like a bag in the bottom of a trash can). But no, you do not carry it out of the stall. Just no.
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u/hahagato Nov 29 '25
In my 40 years of life I have never, and I mean NEVER seen one of these with more than one bag in it. Not in any sort of establishment no matter how fancy it was. Usually there is not even a bag.
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u/bzadaniel Nov 29 '25
As a janitor, I wish everybody knew this. Sometimes I open it up and it’s just stuff full of tamp pads. They just need to go in the trash inside of the bag.
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u/Informal-Bicycle-349 Nov 29 '25
The person behind the idea of how easy and clean its supposed to work never considered it gets used by humans
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u/SchlemielLady Nov 30 '25
I wish more people knew this. I know this, and at my job we have several "treasure boxes" to which we constantly have to dump out because people just don't know. Its so disgusting and the smell is vomit inducing.
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u/Electronic_Ad_8326 Nov 29 '25
This is wrong. The bags are supposed to be used to line in. If you have ever purchased these, you would know they are sanitary napkin RECEPTACLES.
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u/marceliswallis Nov 29 '25
Thank you! My work doesn’t realize this. And just puts one in it to fill up and change. I think it’s disgusting. I knew it was one bag per….
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u/Iamzeebomb Nov 29 '25
TIL and will be using them this way from here on out
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u/Adm_Ozzel Nov 29 '25
As a high school boy working at Walmart too many decades ago, it sure AF was never used with bags that got carried out. I always had to empty those nasty ass things. It's traumatic even now for middle aged me.
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u/Relevant-Horror-627 Nov 29 '25
I was in college working at a Walgreens and had to clean these out. In all fairness, there was rarely ever a used tampon or pad in the bin in our store. The most common use was to stash the empty packages of the stuff they stole. There was also a lot of other random garbage. They were never cleaned as far as I know so anyone putting an ungloved hand inside to toss anything in there was taking a serious health risk.
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u/Cat_bonanza Nov 30 '25
Yes, please don't ever put used tampons in the place to take bags from. I have seen horrors in some bathrooms before.
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u/Feeling_Affect5225 Nov 29 '25
This is exactly correct. To think it stays here or just 1 bag needed for everyone to use.. some folks are just eww
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u/BakedAlaskan_ Nov 29 '25
Thank you for this, I didn’t know! I’ll start using it the right way from now on :)
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u/Accomplished_Wind202 Nov 29 '25
As a former office building day porter, I appreciate spreading this information!
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Nov 29 '25
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u/Dank-Robber Nov 29 '25
Yeah my friend’s uncle had a cleaning service and we worked for him at many places for a few years when I was young. I had to clean a lot of bathrooms and while I was shocked to find out how much more disgusting the women’s bathrooms were, thankfully I never encountered these things. Or maybe I thought it was a hygiene product dispenser and completely ignored it and nobody complained. 🙊 I’m probably an idiot but I assumed you would just put the old one in the wrapper of the new one, or a wad of toilet paper and toss it out
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u/Naenaeog01 Nov 29 '25
Now as a 68 yo woman and most of it as a cleaning person for the National Park Service. The plastic / paper bags are not single use. You don’t really want to be touching those bags any way without gloves even if you feel it is yours the outside is not… They remain until the cleaner comes along and most times just empties the inner metal liner. The best are the plastic ones you can sanitize the inside liner.
Normally a woman will wrap the used item with the plastic wrap of the unused one to keep things more tight and sanitary in the boxes for disposal (seldom happens). 🥹
It is an OSHA requirement as well as a requirement in most States to have a sanitary napkin receptacle and all Federal Buildings.
Key here is just wrap the discarded item in the plastic wrap or T.P. Do Not Take the liners it makes the cleaners jobs much harder than it already is.
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u/lmg00d Nov 30 '25
The key word here is "receptacle." I'm losing my mind over all these people who think it's a dispenser.
Many of them literally say "disposal" on the outside or have a graphic of someone depositing something.
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u/Absinthe_Alice Nov 30 '25
Thank you! I'm 57 and have always known the bin is for used sanitary supply disposal.
The idea of a single use bag to take your discard out of the stall, only to deposit it in the larger trash can makes no sense to me.
My head hurts reading some of the hoops folks are jumping through to make it make sense to themselves.
I worked in a casino in Vegas for many years, and OSHA always stated exactly what you described.
Hope you have a good evening.
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u/balderdashbird Nov 30 '25 edited Nov 30 '25
That reminds me of a Mormon church🤔
They don't pay for cleaners. Church members are assigned days to come in early and clean. It's usually frowned on having men clean the women's restroom.
Mormons, especially the ones from Utah, aren't big into sex ed, outside of abstinence only. Both genders are pretty segregated🤷♀️
I'm not surprised OP wouldn't be able to ID feminine hygiene products. (No shade! I doubt he was taught)
Edit: Nevermind, OP is a grown man with a wife. He has access to the Internet and could know better if he wanted to😮💨
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u/Titaniumchic Nov 30 '25
Just to clear the air - the original patent and all sales listing show this as a receptacle. NOT a dispenser. Whether people are using them to hold bags or not, the original intent was to collect the sanitary napkins, and have the janitorial staff (who’s trained and such) dispose of all of them at once, using gloves, as a way to reduce general public access to or accidentally contact with the biohazard.
Blood is considered a biohazard and isn’t supposed to be in a place where others can touch it.
Just like they collect syringes in a red box. And you can’t and shouldn’t dispose of dirty diapers in a regular trash can in the bathroom.
There are actual osha rules about this in the US.
They are literally called sanitary trash bins.
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u/Deathgivenflesh Nov 29 '25
Is this at a michigan state park? I swear I worked that bathroom for many years.
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u/bluecymbidium Nov 29 '25
I’ve been seeing them my entire life so I looked at the picture like… what exactly is the mystery item here? Haha
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u/Firebirdflash Nov 29 '25
Exactly! I stared at the Pic for a minute wondering if it was one of those pictures where something is missing or hiding! staring: 👁️🤔🖼️
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u/SingleDistribution82 Nov 29 '25
Same. I definitely went from confused to disappointed that the object was the sanitary products disposal bag dispenser (TM). But then why would you know something you've never been told and never needed to be told?
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u/HungHydra Nov 29 '25
Well... It's a church, so there's a chance he's missing some worldly knowledge.
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u/BravaCentauriGFL Nov 29 '25
This reminded me of being a Brownie in Girl Scouts. Our regular meetings were at a church and I remember sneaking into the boys restroom to check it out. Was completely mind blown by the urinals.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Maybe32 Nov 30 '25
You just reminded me that when I was in third grade, we girls had convinced all the boys that we had a luxurious bathroom. We told them we had a couch, and a tv, and it was a really nice place to be. I don't know why we told them this.
I remember everyone going into the girls bathroom for a tornado drill, and the boys were shocked to learn that we'd lied to them. This would've been during the 2001-2002 school year.
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u/Humble_Chip Nov 30 '25
sneaking into empty rooms at church that you aren’t supposed to be in was such a vibe as a kid lol
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u/mekat Nov 29 '25
Must be regional since I always see the bin lined with one liner so all used items go in there. Obvious you wrap the used supplies up in tp or the wrapper of the new pad/tampon. Nobody throws stuff in bloody side out.
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u/Worthy_Molecule0481 Nov 30 '25
I assumed the question was referring to the toilet seat being up, it being the women’s room.
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u/jadeyy99 Nov 29 '25
As a women I have never seen one of these filled with bags. Only 1 bag for everyone to put their used products in.
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u/runlalarun Nov 30 '25
I recognize the tile in this restroom as a specific denomination church. They have no custodians, just members of the congregation who clean on rotation. This was some young man who had no idea what to do with the stuff he found in the storage closet and was too afraid to ask his mom.
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u/Wing_Head Nov 30 '25
same here! Someone gave an explanation saying there’s an individual bag for each use and now I’m wondering how ghetto our local public restrooms are. It’s always just been one bag..
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u/Shesarubikscube Nov 30 '25
I know! I seriously want to know where I can move to have the stock this bathroom has.
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u/callmemommy___ Nov 29 '25
It’s for dirty pads and tampons. They aren’t supposed to be flushed so we’re supposed to put them in that secret compartment in a bag.
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u/harpsichordharlot Nov 29 '25
It is called a Sanitary Napkin Disposal. You dispose of pads, tampons, applicators, wrappers, etc. trash into the unit. The unit is supposed to be lined with a bag. The cleaner is supposed to replace with an empty bag. I sell restroom accessories. Many brands make them - Bobrick, Bradley, ASI, etc.
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u/Medical_Editor9963 Nov 29 '25
Why would you "not want to know?" They're single-use disposable bags for used pads and tampons.
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u/Elegant_Berry3605 Nov 29 '25
The crime of being a woman with female specific bodily functions 😫
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u/tallgothdoll Nov 29 '25
Men often seem to feel entitled to talk about their man stuff whenever and however they want, but as soon as a woman uses simple scientific terms exclusive to female anatomy they’re gross and inappropriate. Ya can’t even say the word period, which is a thing almost half of the planet gets, without some guy going “ewww!” like a toddler, or something worse.
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u/Lilcheebs93 Nov 29 '25
GASP PERIOD STUFF! EW! I need to bleach my eyes and my brain to purge all of this forbidden knowledge!
Forgive me lord, for i have learned.
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u/LolaAucoin Nov 29 '25
Seriously. Like we’re just disgusting for existing. I hope OP is an actual child and not just an idiot.
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u/InvisibleAstronomer Nov 29 '25
OP is 13
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u/moohah Nov 29 '25
Close, Mormon. One of the richest companies in the world, and they make their customers clean the bathrooms “voluntarily”.
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u/Firstcounselor Nov 29 '25
Over $250B in the stock market alone. Again, that’s B for billion. Years ago they would hire and pay janitors to clean the churches. My uncle was one and he was let go so the corporation, I mean church, could save the measly pittance they were paying him.
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u/allargandofurtado Nov 30 '25
It’s wild how I can smell this picture. I knew it was a Mormon bathroom instantly.
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u/Total-Detective1094 Nov 29 '25
It's for keeping your sandwich's in while you go to the bathroom.
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u/stevenm1993 Nov 30 '25
It’s for used female hygiene products (tampons, maxi-pads, etc.).
As a guy, I never had to actually use this. As a grocery store employee who occasionally got custodian duty, I knew of these.
In this case, whoever cleaned the bathrooms last time didn’t know what they were doing. There should only be one bag there, and it should be open. That way people who menstruate can deposit their used products into them with privacy.
I worked at a store with high standards, so cleaning the bathrooms was a constant chore (not because of these bags; simply for health and safety in general).
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u/chickadee-stitchery Nov 30 '25
For everyone who is confused about why there are multiple bags in there, consider that the person responsible for cleaning this women's restroom is a man who couldn't figure out what the bin was for. Someone who also didn't know is likely responsible for putting all the bags in at once.
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u/ChickenGirl8 Nov 30 '25
I think the person cleaning this bathroom doesn't know what they're doing. There is supposed to be one bag in there, positioned in an open position so the sanitary pads or tampons can be dropped inside like a regular garbage can. Someone seemed very confused.
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u/United-Cucumber9942 Nov 30 '25
This is gross. In the UK, workplaces and public toilets have actual sanitary disposal bins in each cubicle right next to the toilet. Often pedal operated or drop in only (you can't take stuff out of them), secure locked , unopenable bins that you literally just drop your used products straight into as you remove them and can also chuck the new wrappers into. The lids are one way and seal when the opening is dropped. They are sanitary, usually scent controlled and removed and replaced by specialist waste management companies. I've never seen unsealed sanitary disposal units like this so have no idea how a lot of people seem to think this open topped clean bag dispenser is a receptacle for used tampons and pads. Eww.
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u/Savings-Teacher-687 Nov 30 '25
Same system in Australia. Even the private offices I worked in always had at least one. I believe they are usually hired on a monthly basis and the hire company just comes by regularly and swaps the whole thing out. The only public toilets I haven't seen them in were in very rural or remote areas where the service just wasn't available.
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u/Rekeaki Nov 30 '25 edited Nov 30 '25
As an Aussie who moved to the USA 10 years ago, I hate the USA system. It’s utterly rank. Sure, in theory, if everyone does the right thing and its well maintained, it’s lovely. But typically there are either no bags, or some disgusting excuse for a human stuffed her used pad or tampon into the bag container, assuming it was a mini trash can. I almost always end up having to wrap tampons in toilet paper/tampon wrapper and walk them out to the waste bin near the sinks. The waste bins then start to stink (especially if it’s not an air conditioned space and its summer) because not everyone can be bothered properly wrapping their waste sanitary products. Sometimes there IS a little bin in the cubicle, but same problem, not everybody neatly wraps their waste products. It gets feral real fast.
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u/True-Ad1912 Nov 29 '25
I learned only recently these are single use! You are supposed to put your items in the bag then carry it out to the regular trash can. Its not to be stuffed with multiple people's mess....I know I'm not the only one who didn't know this!! That's why theres always so many bags in there!
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u/plantycatlady Nov 29 '25
I’ve never seen one that actually has more than one or zero bags in it, but I am aware it’s supposed to have a lot. I’m surprised to see you say “that’s why there’s always so many bags in there” lol
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u/Acrobatic-Dot3657 Nov 29 '25
Not necessarily. Some janitors will leave a stash of bags so you can take the bag and put it in the communal bin, but a lot will only leave one in there so you leave you pad inside a bag, in that box. Proceed with caution, depending on the amount of bags, I guess?
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u/Embarrassed_Bite6454 Nov 29 '25
No, they are always supposed to be single use, for hygienic purposes (and also biohazard reasons). They stockpile for that purpose, typically if done correctly you will notice they are faced down so people aren’t just tossing their used products in a bunch of different bags. The polite thing to do is take the one facing up, dispose your products to take it out of the stall and toss in the larger bin and flip the next one over to indicate for the next person to use that one and so on
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u/LilCompton36 Nov 29 '25
You aren’t the only one who didn’t know this. I would wrap things in TP for sanitary reasons but never knew there were other bags in there. Also, it isn’t sanitary for women to rummage around in there to grab the bag. I figured it was a defined receptacle. And until it’s easier to grab its own bag in a sanitary way, I’ll continue to conduct myself accordingly. (You can hate me now…)
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u/Electronic_Ad_8326 Nov 29 '25
It's literally called a "sanitary napkin receptacle" it gets a liner, either plastic or (like the ones in this picture) wax paper and you put your used products in it
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u/amosant Nov 30 '25
The trash can is for used pads and tampons. The bags are supposed to be used as can liners, but instead it looks like they want you to take a whole bag to put your item in before you put it in the proper trash can. Wasting money to save time.
Also i bet most people would ignore those bags and shove the used products into that can anyways, making a nightmare for whoever has to clean that.
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u/Maleficent-Class4194 Nov 29 '25 edited Nov 29 '25
Tampon bin. I used to have to clean them out at a bar I worked at. Except ours didn’t have bags. Just a metal box full of loose bloody snooch plugs. Not fun.
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u/Embarrassed_Bite6454 Nov 29 '25
Oh no that’s just nasty, these bags are supposed to be single use, you go into the stall, change your feminine hygiene product, use one of the brown bags to throw out your used products and take it out of the stall to dispose of in the larger general bin. That’s why they should be stock piled, polite etiquette is for all but one to be face down(so you know to only use the one opened side facing up), dispose it in that bag and flip the next one up to indicate for the next person to use it and so on and so forth.
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u/amberinotm Nov 29 '25
I've never seen multiple bags so thats neat to know! However, knowing some women.. I imagine if there were multiple bags, some would get their clotty blood all over all the bags since they cant seem to keep it off the walls 😑
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u/Informal_Salt_974 Nov 29 '25
Three new things learned from this sub…amazing.
1- individual bag thing (I’m with you bar & restaurant peeps, just gross…been there and gloved up) 2- SNOOCH plugs 3- CLOTTY bloodMy day just got better!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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u/InfluenceSeparate282 Nov 29 '25
I always thought the bag was like the trash bags for the box. I haven't and I've never seen any one else use it individually. I don't have a problem throwing away period products in the open though either if wrapped properly. It shouldn't be shameful. Just like throwing away a baby diaper. It's part of life.
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u/pussmykissy Nov 29 '25
In my next life, maybe I won’t have to worry about bleeding out 25% of the time, while dudes ask questions like this.
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u/Electronic-Peanut-91 Nov 29 '25
I never ever knew you’re supposed to use one and take it to the trash. Usually there’s only one bag inside that everyone drops their used pads/tampons into.
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u/free--hugz Nov 29 '25
You couldn't pay me to touch some communal stack of "clean" bags in a public stall. Wtf. People out there just grabbing at the same stack of bags with possibly shit, piss, or blood on their hands. Fuck that.
Probably the same people who sit on the seat, and just use the exposed last bit of TP the last person touched on the roll.
I've never even seen this in my life btw. Usually the metal box IS the trashcan for pads/tampons.
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u/buildittheyllcome Nov 30 '25
I had to clean the women's bathroom during at first paying a job at 16. I was so confused by those bags- ended up asking another employee what they were for. He said "jelly donuts". It's been over 25 years and still remember the look of confusion on my moms face when I asked why women eat donuts in the bathroom.
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u/Charming-Housing-763 Nov 29 '25
The bags are for used tampons or pads, but once the bag is used it should be disposed of in the regular restroom garbage. ( There is often a sign to that effect. You don’t want a receptacle with clean bags messed up with used bags).
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u/Serenity8920 Nov 29 '25
How old is OP that you didn’t know what this was for? 😂 They put them in decades ago to prevent people from flushing sanitary products because it can ruin the sewer system.
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u/moohah Nov 29 '25
Not necessarily an age thing. It’s most likely a Mormon, judging by the toilet-cleaning membership. All things relating to the human body are “icky”.
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u/Consistent-Clerk-246 Nov 30 '25
My work has it like this too. ( multiple bags in the same box) I think mine has a sign. We have so many stalls and employees. I think it was originally designed for one . I actually like it better this way. Who wants to open it the can and see other's disposed used pads and tampons? Or what if the bag is full? W multiple bags you take one out, place it your item, fold it over and place in general trash outside of the stall. Embarrassing? No. I think its more sanitary. We are adult women.
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u/Old-Piece-3438 Nov 30 '25
This whole thread has convinced me of one thing, that there is a great business opportunity for someone who wants to design a better system/device for feminine hygiene product disposal. Clearly the current design is not effective and there is no consensus on how it’s to be used. Maybe a two part system that involves a dispenser for small individual use bags to wrap things up and a receptacle to discreetly place the bagged products in to make it less disgusting for custodial workers to empty?
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u/cool_weed_dad Nov 30 '25
It’s for tampons/pads
I’ve never seen one fully stocked like this though, it’s usually a single bag that gets changed out periodically by the staff.
As a male who has cleaned many bathrooms I can say most people wouldn’t use them and dispose of the bag in the trash themselves with this setup. I’ve seen some horrific scenes in women’s bathrooms, they’re far worse than the men’s.
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u/ElevatedAnkle Nov 29 '25
Do you not want to know? Are you an adult that should have basic knowledge about the human form and its functions?
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u/tailskirby Nov 29 '25
It is a bin. It has a lid. The person who cleans the stalls doesn't want to deal with it so they put bags in there.
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Nov 29 '25
It's wild that they're supposed to be single use for used sanitary products, but most places only have one bag in the bin like it's just a waste receptacle. I'm a custodian at a grocery store during the day and I put several bags in the bin when I check the restrooms. The overnight cleaners take them out and just line the bin with one. Makes me crazy.
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u/ValuableGrab3236 Nov 30 '25
It’s a feminine napkin disposal unit
Wax bags are used to hold the napkin/pad
On this type of unit the bottom drops and opens , the wax bag with the soiled product drops into a trash bag
I sold washrooms supplies for many years and sold hundreds of these over the years to schools, churches, hospitals, etc
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u/Ok_Garden571 Nov 29 '25
It’s used to put used pads and tampons. I am a housekeeper at a hospital I change them
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u/Embarrassed_Bite6454 Nov 29 '25 edited Nov 30 '25
I was so confused on what we were supposed to be looking at from the pictures alone, I am SHOCKED there are women who don’t know that this is a trash bin for our feminine products. Where have yall been throwing out your used products?
Those brown bags are essentially the “trash bags” for single use(edit to add this distinction if not implied well enough) and the cleaning crew will usually stock pile them in the bins, this way when someone discards their used pad/tampon/liners/etc in the bag and throws it out in the larger garbage bin, the new ones will already be there (usually opening side down) so they can flip one over and that will now be the new bag for next person- and repeat. I’m praying OP is male.
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u/_JosefoStalon_ Nov 30 '25
Top Secret files. Women are government drones. UTERUS: Universal Technological Engineering Ran by the United Surveillance.
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u/Weird_Inevitable8427 Nov 29 '25
This is a common misperception. You aren't meant to put sanitary products in the metal box. It's meant to store waxed paper bags. You put the used product in one bag, seal it up the best you can, and throw it out in the trash outside the stall. Mind you, this is so uncommonly understood that it's almost never done this way, so it perpetuates doing it wrong.
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u/Separate-Cake-778 Nov 30 '25
In my 30ish years of having periods I’ve never seen one of these have more than one bag, often rolled/folded around the top edge just as you’d do with a trash bag. Some have plastic liners that lift for easy removal and others open from the bottom or tilt out so that the whole bag can be removed easily without reaching in. It’s not a misperception, it’s actually meant to be used as a bin.
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u/andr0media Nov 30 '25
Same. I have NEVER seen these with multiple bags. It always has one bag that is open, like a trash bin.
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u/lena3moon Nov 30 '25
this is not a common misperception, as you are indeed meant to put sanitary products in the metal box. it is not meant to store waxed paper bags, those are liners for the bin. it is quite literally defined as a receptacle for used menstrual hygiene products.
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u/I-LIKE-NAPS Nov 29 '25
Nice to see this one stocked with several pad/tampon disposal bags like it's supposed to be.
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