Chesapeake Bay, Maryland Regulates Dish Soap
Like Washington State, Maryland was also considering similar legislation about dishwasher soap that contains phosphorus back in 2007:
Md. Dish Soap Bill Might Help Clean Bay (www.washingtonpost.com)
Maryland lawmakers are taking aim at a product in every kitchen that happens to be polluting the Chesapeake Bay: dish soap.
Washing dirty plates and silverware, it turns out, contributes to a dirty bay because of detergents that make the dishes sparkling clean. The soaps contain phosphorus, which gets dumped into the Bay and depletes oxygen vital to fish. Now, environmentally minded lawmakers want to all but eliminate phosphorus from dishwashing detergents in the state.
If you can’t find phosphate free dishwasing soap in your area, look for low-phosphate alternatives.
You can also make your own, home brewed detergent by combining 1 tablespoon of washing soda (which is baking soda processed for washing purposes) along with 1 tablespoon of Borax. That’s it.
For others, they will choose to import brands like Cascade over state borders or order it online and have it shipped in.
Phosphates are the main cleaning agent in many detergents. They break down grease and really help to remove stains. But, these kinds of chemicals are difficult to remove in waste water and usually end up in lakes, rivers and streams, where they help to promote the growth of algae. The algae then eat up the oxygen in the water that fish need to live.
