Cottage Q&A
QUESTION
Which has less impact on the environment, washing your dishes by hand or using a dishwasher?
ANSWER
You really want the answer to be the dishwasher, don’t you? Surprise – it is, with some provisos. As long as you don’t pre-rinse (try scraping instead), new dishwashers are highly efficient and use much less water and detergent than even the most careful human washer, which means less grey water heading for the septic bed, according to Mike Gibbs, a coordinator with Peterborough Green-Up, an environmental education agency. You can also program these dishwashers to run at off-peak hours to reduce electrical demand. Gibbs can’t say for sure which is worse, an old dishwasher or handwashing, since people use varying amounts of water when washing by hand. However, he emphasizes that old dishwashers should be replaced with newer energy-efficient models. A dishwasher with an Energy Star rating, for example, uses a third of the energy as your old clunker.
Whether you hand wash or use the machine, you’ll make the least impact on the environment by choosing a biodegradable detergent that’s free of phosphates and chlorine, says Rob Davis, president of EcoEthic, which develops and manufactures environmentally friendly cleaning products. Phosphates, which are added to soften water, are also plant nutrients and encourage algae growth in lakes. Chlorine, added to detergents to kill bacteria, will temporarily zap the good bacteria in your septic so they can’t do their job of breaking down the sewage crud. Detergents for dishwashing by hand no longer contain phosphates, but many automatic dishwasher detergents still do. Chlorine can be found in many cleaning products, so read labels carefully. “If labels don’t say that they are chlorine- and phosphate-free, you can bet that they aren’t,” says Davis. Your best choice, he adds, is to use products certified by the EcoLogo program, guaranteeing they are environmentally friendly. For more information on low-impact dishwashing, visit cottagelife.com/dishwasher.
Christine Langlois
* Published in the September/October 2007 issue of
Cottage Life
