New detergent regulations

What exactly are detergents?

Detergents are chemical substances containing soaps that are used for washing and cleaning. They can take the form of powder, liquid, tablet or paste. It’s well known that they have a significant effect on the water environment, as they release chemicals which can be toxic to fish and other aquatic life. With detergent consumption up by 40% in the last 20 years, the government decided it was time to bring in new legislation to restrict its usage.

New legislation

In April, the Detergents Regulations 2010 replaced the existing Detergents Regulations 2005. The changes are designed to do the following:

• ban the sale of detergents containing more than 0.4% of inorganic phosphates to the domestic market by January 1 2015

• tighten up the rules on product labelling, i.e. stop suppliers labelling their products as green, when they’re quite obviously not; and

• impose a stricter testing regime on products to ensure their environmental impact is reduced.

Note. The five-year delay on the ban is so that the industry will have adequate time to switch to alternative detergents.

What will the changes achieve?

At the moment, approximately 20% to 60% of the phosphorous build-up in our waterways comes from detergents - other bi-products include arsenic, cadmium and sodium, all of which can have a detrimental effect on both aquatic and human life. The government is hoping that the regulations will mean that water companies will use less energy and fewer chemicals in the treatment of sewage, and there will be a significant improvement in water quality.

Who will be affected?

The major effect of these regulations will be on those who manufacture or place detergents on the market. It will be their responsibility to ensure their products have a minimal impact on the environment and don’t contain any restricted chemicals.

What about the users?

Don’t panic; the soap police aren’t about to start descending on businesses to check the detergents being used. In fact, you shouldn’t have to do anything to comply, as when the rules do change, illegal products should be removed from sale.

Note. As producers have five years to become compliant, chances are that by the time the law changes any such products will be long gone.

Tip. Although most businesses don’t need to worry about these particular regulations, anyone who uses detergents must handle them properly. This is because if the substance is spilt, or used in a way that could lead to an escape into a river or watercourse, it’s likely to kill fish and other aquatic life forms; plus it could cause damage to the river system itself. Any business caught polluting with detergents could be prosecuted under the Environmental Damage Regulations 2009.