Effects of the Dishwashing Industry on the Environment

Dishwashers are practical inventions. They save precious time as they wash dishes without human hands. With our increasing need for convenience due to our changing lifestyle, the dishwasher industry, as well as its complementing detergent industry, is sure to grow leaps and bounds.

But are dishwashers friendly to the environment? That is a pretty important question since the global population has become environmentally conscious.

The first dishwashers in the 1970s use so much water, electricity, and kitchen space that most people find it a bill-guzzling monstrosity. But with more advanced technology, modern dishwashers now use less water. In fact, they use less water than washing plates by hand. A fully-loaded dishwasher uses approximately 1.25 litres of water in a single setting or a single washing session. Hand washing, on the other hand, uses around 5 litres of water. The disparity is due to the fact that dishwashers automatically shut off the water valve when the level reaches the optimum level. Humans usually leave the faucet open to rinse the dishes, wasting lots of water.

Aside from savings in water consumption, modern dishwashers also use less energy compared to refrigerators, washing machines, and some other appliances.

It takes a lot of steel, plastic, and packaging to manufacture a simple dishwasher. However, most dishwasher manufacturers use high-standard materials that do little or no damage to the environment.

The major environmental concern in the industry is more focused on dishwashing detergents rather than dishwashers. Detergents contain chemicals that aid in cleaning, but these same chemicals can raise algal blooms when disposed in the wild. Algal blooms deprive ponds and bodies of water of oxygen, killing fish and other aquatic creatures.

The dishwashing industry is growing, but it is good to know that dishwasher manufacturers are aware of its effects on the environment.