UK households who leave Fairy Liquid near kitchen sink issued warning
From 2025, everyone who uses washing-up liquid is being urged to alter their cleaning habits to lessen the environmental impact on marine life.
Washing-up liquid, a common item in countless UK homes, poses a threat not only due to its plastic packaging but also because of its harmful ingredients.
Home cleaning gurus have highlighted that washing-up liquid contains surfactants, often derived from fossil fuels, which can damage aquatic life each time you empty your sink, as reported by The Express.
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Sustainably Lazy has pointed out that these surfactants send pollutants down the drain, endangering wildlife when they enter our waterways. They caution: "Mainstream brands use fossil fuel-derived surfactants, many of which end up in rivers and harm aquatic life."
This concern is shared by Ethical Superstore, which notes that most standard washing-up liquids include sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), a toxic substance detrimental to marine habitats and ecosystems. Ethical Superstore explains: "Most conventional washing up liquids contain sodium lauryl sulphate or SLS. This acts as a surfactant, meaning it reduces the surface tension of the water and creates foam, leading to extra cleaning power. But it's not without its issues."
They continue, "SLS doesn't just dissolve away to nothing when it's used. After it goes down the plughole it can end up lingering in our waterways, endangering marine life and doing untold damage to the ecosystem.", reports Yorkshire Live.
A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology has raised alarms about the detrimental effects of household surfactants on marine life.
The research points out: "The use of surfactants in households and industries is inevitable and so is their discharge into the environment, especially into the water bodies as effluents. Being surface-active agents, their utilisation is mostly seen in soaps, detergents, personal care products, emulsifiers, wetting agents, etc."
Furthermore, the study warns that "Surfactants are capable of penetrating the cell membrane and thus cause toxicity to living organisms. Accumulation of these compounds has been known to cause significant gill damage and loss of sight in fish."
The issue doesn't stop at marine health; it also touches upon the broader problem of waste management in the UK, where over 170 million tonnes of waste are produced every year, yet only a third of plastic packaging is recycled.
Highlighting the long-lasting impact of such pollutants, the Burnham Coastguard Rescue Team found a nearly 50 year old bottle of washing-up liquid on the beach back in 2018. They used this discovery to emphasize the importance of reducing our daily plastic consumption, acknowledging the difficulty due to current manufacturing practices.
If you're looking for more sustainable washing up options, there are plenty to choose from. Fairy's eco-friendlier alternative is available on Ocado for £4.50 - a refill carton that provides enough detergent to replenish the standard Fairy liquid bottle "more than twice.", reducing the need for additional plastic bottles.
Fairy explains: "Fairy Max Power antibacterial washing up liquid refill carton allows you to refill your 370ml upside-down bottle more than twice and helps you to save up to 85% of the plastic. The refill is recyclable.
"The Max Power bottle with no flip cap gives you Fairy's ultimately convenient cleaning experience. It helps you get out of the kitchen faster by making washing dishes fast and easy."
Other alternatives include solid washing up liquid bars, which generally perform better in areas with soft water compared to hard water regions, as well as eco-friendly washing up liquids that are plant-based and come in refillable packaging.
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