A Redditor claims they were "scammed" after purchasing pod detergents because their damaging environmental effects were not specified.
The post on the Reddit community r/Anticonsumption, which has nearly 600k members, explains how detergents like Tide Pods and Gain Flings release microplastics into the environment.
"I'm using the ones I have up and then switching back to liquid detergent."
The poster also elaborates on how buying liquid detergent is more cost-effective than Tide Pods because the liquid is "super concentrated" compared to the Tide Pods.
Microplastics are pieces of plastic that measure less than 0.5 centimeters across. Out of the 2.41 million tons of plastic waste that goes into the oceans each year, 94% of it is made up of microplastics, and it has been recently discovered that much of this comes from washing laundry.
Researchers have also found that laundry pods leak large amounts of PVA, or polyvinyl alcohol, which can enter water systems and pollute our food chain.
The problem is that companies are advertising pods, strips, and PVA sheets as an eco-friendly and biodegradable alternative to traditional laundry detergent, which is misleading.
It's best to avoid pod detergents for the sake of the planet, the water we drink, and — taking into consideration the Redditor's information — our wallets.
Some eco-friendly alternatives are Sheets Laundry Club detergent sheets and Meliora laundry powder, both available in the U.S. There's more where that came from: Check out our full list of green laundry detergents.
Reddit commenters had plenty to say.
The most exclamatory response was: "I didn't even think about that!!! OMG I have so many of them. On the bright side, I don't need to buy them anymore, but yeesh... I wish I knew before I bought them."
Another commenter provided some additional advice, saying, "Consider skipping the liquid step and going straight to powdered detergent. It's the same thing, just without added water, and you can get it in cardboard boxes instead of those big plastic jugs."
Another one added, "Not to mention the PVA in the pods isn't great for your water lines."
It's always good to know some consumers are well-informed.
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