Day 284 – I used to use Cascade detergent pods in my dishwasher. I stopped using them because of the plastic container they were packaged in. I didn’t even consider the plastic that is found in the pod itself.
PVA (polyvinly alcohol) is used to coat dishwasher pods. It’s also found in laundry detergent pods, as well. Plastic Ocean International looked into PVA covered pods a little further.
“Once PVA goes down the drain, the chances of it biodegrading are very low. It requires strict conditions for it to be broken down via microorganisms that are not always present in wastewater treatment plants or in the environment. We also looked at how many pods were used to try to establish how much PVA goes untreated, every year, in the United States. We’re talking over eight thousand tons of PVA going into the environment, every year, originating from these detergent pods. That equates to 600 million plastic soda bottles worth of plastic, yearly. Ultimately, very little is known about how PVA behaves as a pollutant but one thing remains clear, it does not fully biodegrade.” – Plastic Ocean International
Your best bet is to use a PVA free detergent. Blueland cleaning products sells dishwasher tablets. Purchase the reusable tin and continue to load up with refills, packaged in compostable bags.
Tomorrow, celebrating National Farmers Day.
365 Ways to Save the Planet 