Your Laundry.
The things you do the most have the largest impact on the planet.
There are always options. Here is a little info to help you choose better in context of your laundry.
Laundry (hopefully) is something that you do regularly. If not, we can tell and politely ask you to stay fresh. ;)
Detergents.
Worst. Better. Best.
Worst: Liquid detergents
But Why?
Me: Plastic bottle. And the water.
Them: But I recycle my plastic.
Me: Only about 8.6% of plastic is recycled according to the EPA.
Them: What happens to the rest?
Me: It gets burned or placed in a landfill.
Them: So, less than 1 out of 10 of my liquid detergent bottles is actually recycled?
Me: Yes, that’s the math. Then there is the microplastic that gets into the water supply through the detergent. And the pollution from transporting the detergent to the store you buy it from.
Liquid detergent is mostly water. That means it is heavy and moving heavy things puts fossil fuel exhaust into the air.
Liquid detergent is It’s definitely the WORST option.
Worst. Better. Best.
Better: Powered Detergents.
But why isn’t this a ‘best’?
Me: Transportation, clumps, dyes, and fillers
Them: But it doesn’t have the bottle and the water, so we’re good, right?.
Me: Close. Powered detergent is heavy and still needs to be transported by trucks to the store for you to buy.
Them: But EVERYTHING needs to get transported to some degree.
Me: Absolutely. But the larger the distance the product has to travel the greater negative impact on the environment. Also, there is the clump issue.
Them: What do you mean clumps?
Me: Powered detergent are known to produce clumps of undissolved detergent. This has the potential to gum up your machine causing issues if you use a washing machine. This issue is one reason why the move to liquid detergent was made.
Them: Okay, okay but what about these fillers and dyes?
Me: There are also dyes added to make it visually appealing. Also, 5-45% of detergents are fillers. It makes it seem like you’re getting more. But you’re really just buying a less concentrated product. You're paying for ‘nothing” when it comes to the fillers.
Powdered detergents are a better option than liquid but still not quite there.
Worst. Better. Best.
Best: Dissolving
What makes this a ‘best’?
Me: No plastic, no clumps, low transportation, ideal packaging.
Them: But it still has to be transported and that’s a negative, right?
Me: Yes. There is still some impact in that way. The impact is minimal. It is concentrated so not heavy, and because it comes in the mail, it can save you a trip to the store.
Them: Ideal packaging?
Me: The less packaging the better. There are detergent sheets that come in the mail in recycled cardboard envelopes. Recycled and recyclable.
For the detergent I use, take a look at this Laundry Blog Post