So you’re smart enough to practice safe sex (preventing both pregnancy and STDs) by using a condom correctly. But what do you do with the condom when you’re done with it? Here are some tips on how to dispose of condoms in an ecological way.

First of all, never flush your condoms down the toilet! Rinsing condoms is not the way to deal with them. Condoms can clog the pipes in your house (or the pipes wherever you are). This can be an expensive and embarrassing situation. If the condom makes it through your septic system, it will only end up with solid waste. This means that someone has to remove it from the sewage treatment, which is not pleasant for anyone. The condom might even get past the treatment plant. This is not good because it means it could end up in the water supply and the last thing we need is more pollution in our rivers, lakes and oceans.

Not all condoms are created equal. Most condoms are made from latex, which means they biodegrade. Latex, however, does not biodegrade when underwater, so it is not a good idea to throw away used condoms. However, condoms are not made entirely of latex and the other things in condoms (spermicide, lubricant) can affect biodegradability. The best option seems to be to send them to a landfill and see how they stand the test of time.

Some condoms, including all female condoms, are made of polyurethane, a type of plastic. These do not biodegrade. However, there is no other option except throwing them away, because your local recycling depot will not recycle used condoms. They don’t even recycle new condoms.

Other condoms are made from lambskin. These are completely biodegradable condoms. But don’t run out of lambskin condoms just yet! Sheepskin condoms do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. The pores in lambskin are small enough to stop sperm and thus prevent pregnancy, but the pores are large enough to let sexually transmitted diseases and infections through. This option is only viable for people in monogamous relationships who have been tested for sexually transmitted diseases. If this is the case, you might consider an even greener form of barrier birth control, such as a diaphragm, cervical cap, or shield. Ask your doctor what is best for you.

Regardless of the condom material you use (latex, polyurethane, or lambskin), you will need to throw away one wrapper. These foil wrappers do not biodegrade and cannot be recycled. This simply has to be put in the trash.

Even if your latex or lambskin condoms are biodegradable, it’s best not to try to compost them or bury your condoms. The animals will smell the human scent and try to dig up what you have buried. This means there will be unsightly used condoms around. Burying your condom is equivalent to littering: and there are better ways to deal with your available condoms.

So, in the end, what is the best way to dispose of your condoms? It’s best to wrap it in some toilet paper or paper towels (or any other biodegradable material – think of paper bases like paper bags) and then throw it in the trash. Don’t wrap your condom in plastic, as it certainly won’t biodegrade. The good news is that the semen and vaginal fluid in the condom will certainly biodegrade and could facilitate the biodegradation of the condom.

And lastly, remember… never reuse a condom. Although reduce, reuse and recycle is the motto of environmentalism, you should put your health before it. Don’t minimize condom use, don’t reuse your condoms, and it’s too bad you can’t recycle them yet. To think on a broader environmental scale, condom use is green because it prevents the spread of communicable diseases. It also prevents conception, and children have been documented to be huggable consumers of global resources.

Hopefully soon we will be able to discover an environmentally friendly way of practicing safe sex. Until then, we will make do with what we can and continue to use condoms.