Simply Speaking: There is a lot of deception in the eco-marketplace and it is our commitment to be as plain speaking as we can to help you truly understand the nature of our product lines, and therefore the impact on you, and the environment. This knowledge will help you make an informed purchasing decision; do products you currently use provide easy to understand, honest information? If not why not?
Rationale: The rationale behind our Greywater/Septic Safe logo as stated below is designed to assist you in determining which product is right for you.
The rationale has been written by an independent chemist that has reviewed all of our products and determined how they should be rated, as with many things in life there is no straight answer, no one size that fits all. However, we believe this is the best, most informed way of presenting the information to you, our customers.
Septic/Greywater Safe Logo Rationale:
“In assessing your products for greywater discharge I have used the guidelines suggested by Lanfax Laboratories with the additional criterion of no other undesirable products.
In summary, these are the desirable features of grey water discharge:
- Neutral pH
- Low phosphorus
- Low sulphur
- Low sodium (defined as <20g per wash)
- Biodegradable surfactants
- No other undesirable ingredients
Phosphorus is a tricky one because most Australian soils are phosphorus deficient; therefore, it could be argued that phosphorus is desirable in the grey water discharge. However, if the discharge is into the catchment area for an inland waterway such as the Swan River or finds its way into the water off the Great Barrier Reef for instance, then it is undesirable because it promotes algal blooms.
Sodium and high alkalinity are the main problems for grey water. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to formulate cleaning products that have no sodium and are not alkaline.
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Products that have little or no undesirable constituents get a three-star rating; |
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Products with higher levels of sodium, phosphorus or alkaline get a two-star rating and |
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Products that are very high in sodium or very alkaline or have some other undesirable features get one-star. |
Obviously, the ratings are somewhat arbitrary; you could take the view that anything given a star rating is okay to go into grey water. The stars give you some idea of the relative desirability of each product ending up in the grey water.
Finally, it is worth noting that none of the products had any added sulphate (usually sodium sulphate, generally used as a cheap filler). There are no products that contain any unnecessary ingredients as fillers.
