Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ethan Allen Hawley]

I'm completely sick of buying what purports to be ''environmentally friendly'' soap powder here in SK and then finding it has those completely stupid little pieces of colored plastic inside.

Can anyone recommend a brand that is plastic free, and is actually genuinely environmentally friendly in all the real ways?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/23/plastic-ocean-pollution-fish-health_n_6923872.html

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/oct/27/toxic-plastic-synthetic-microscopic-oceans-microbeads-microfibers-food-chain

Also, has anyone ever returned soap powder to the shop or sent it back to the manufacturer with a complaint about that stupid unnecessary plastic inside of it? (I'd be quite happy to forego the cost of whatever I spent on the box, just to be able to register the complaint with the manufacturers and get them thinking a little damn more about how crazy it is, and how it's helping destroy the local ecosystem and seafood market, not to mention the SK population's health.)

[tardisrider]

I'm not sure what plastic doohickeys you're talking about exactly, but if you need to get rid of them, you can just build a small fire to toss them in. They'll just melt and be gone.

[metalhead]

At the eco-stores or whatever here in Sweden you can buy tvättnötter aka 'washnuts', basically these nuts you put into your washer/washing machine instead of washing powder. I'd rather eat them to be honest but it doesn't look like they have salt or chili lime powder on them so I don't bother but maybe you can try those they're scentless too which is cool if you hate smells and things and odors wow nice.

[Ethan Allen Hawley]

[Steelrails]

Uhm, I'm not sure those are plastic beads. I googled all over for plastic in laundry detergent powder and various combinations and got nothing. My interest was more "why is plastic in detergent and what does it do?" I did get this, which said powdered was better than other options-

http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/buyersguides/householdconsumables/laundrydetergents.aspx

I read your articles and it said that the microbeads are usually found in skin creams, cosmetics, and exfoliates. It didn't say anything about detergent, so you might be in the clear there. Anyways, at the very least you alerted people who might be concerned about plastic in their skin creams to this problem. So, hang on to that detergent for just a minute until this can get cleared up.

[optik404]

You sure that's plastic? Mine has blue specks in it but it's just blue colored soap.

[jvalmer]

[tardisrider]

Even if the little blue bits are soap, I'll bet the container has some plastic on it that you could burn. Even if the container is all paper or something, maybe you get it from the shop in a plastic bag? Those burn pretty well, too.