UK ban on phosphates

The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is considering the ban of inorganic phosphates in domestic laundry cleaning products (DLCPs) and is soliciting comments about it. The plan is to ban on sales of all DLCPs containing more than 0.4% phosphorus by 2015.

According to DEFRA, a regulatory ban is needed to reduce phosphorus pollution in the UK’s water system as well as reduce the energy and chemicals used by the water industry to remove phosphorus from sewage effluent. Domestic laundry cleaning products are said to contribute 3-4% of phosphorus pollution load to the freshwater environment in the UK and Wales.

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