Detergent waste causes water pollution that harms human health and the environment. Let’s tune in to the impacts and solutions.
We always use detergent for doing our laundry. Moreover, some of us also add softeners and perfume. Then, do you know where the waste left from these practices end up? How does it affect the environment, especially in Indonesia? Tune in here!
Waste Pollution in Indonesia
The water pollution problem in Indonesia urgently needs to be solved since water is essential for human needs. Data shows that from 2015 to 2020 water pollution in Indonesia decreased from 79.5% to 50% (Indonesia’s Environment and Forestry Ministry). Though this is an achievement we should applaud, the remaining 50% of pollution is not an easy thing to handle. All parties are still responsible for reducing water pollution in more than 10 thousand villages and sub-districts in Indonesia.
Water pollution is commonly caused by industrial and household waste contamination. One of the household wastes that contribute to water pollution is detergent.
Detergent Waste
Detergent waste is a serious threat to water. The hazardous chemical content contained damages air quality and causes the death of water biota. Detergent waste contains chemical compounds such as phosphate, diethanolamine, alkyl benzene sulfonate, and alkyl phenoxy. Those compounds are very difficult to decompose organically by water microorganisms.
Detergent waste is not only generated from home laundry. Currently, the development of the laundry business also increases the detergent waste pollution rate. Furthermore, most of us and laundry business managers don’t treat the waste before it goes down the drain.
The Dangerous of Detergent Waste
Detergent pollution in water causes many environmental and human health problems, since every aspect of our lives depends on water. Detergent waste kills decomposing bacteria in water. If the decomposing bacteria die, various pollutant substances that enter the water cannot be processed naturally and will poison aquatic biota. As a result, various biota will be poisoned to death.
Detergent waste pollution also causes eutrophication. Eutrophication is the abundance of nutrients that fertilize the growth of weeds in water such as water hyacinth. These nutrients come from the phosphate content consisting of detergent. As we know, the uncontrolled growth of water hyacinths can reduce water oxygen levels and damage the ecosystem.
The content of detergent waste is also harmful to human health. It will cause eye, skin, and lung irritation, allergies, and the most severe impact is cancer.
Detergent Waste Management
The danger posed by detergent waste contamination causes it shouldn’t be disposed of into the environment indiscriminately. Waste must be processed first to reduce pollutant substances. There are several methods to treat this type of waste; anaerobic filter, biofilter, and installing a waste management system.
Applying biofilter is the easiest of the three methods. You simply plant aquatic plants that absorb waste such as water spinach and kiambang in the waste reservoir. The plant has rhizosphere microbes to decompose waste.
Sustain Washing Solution
The waste management solution above are the solutions to cope with the waste that has been generated. But, wouldn’t it be better if we prevent and reduce the waste we produce? So, what do we need to do to reduce detergent waste? The easiest way is reducing detergent use. Please use detergent sparingly when doing your laundry and it will be better to avoid adding more fabric softeners and deodorizers.
You can also use eco-friendly detergents. Eco-friendly detergents are biodegradable. Generally, eco-friendly detergents are free of phosphates, have less foam, and do not use synthetic fragrances.
For Generasi Hijau who subscribe to laundry service, choose a laundry service that supports detergent waste reduction. These laundromats usually use eco-friendly detergents to wash their customers’ clothes.
Generasi Hijau should try Kirei Wash & Beyond which provides eco-friendly laundry services. They support environmental sustainability principles in their business. Besides using eco-friendly detergents, they also use eco-friendly packaging to wrap your clothes. So, please be wise in doing your laundry! Let’s be part of sustainable consumption and production!
