Use Biodegradable Cleaning Products For Wastewater Systems

By Author: Jane Fenway
Total Articles: 11
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Homeowners with septic systems should be aware of what they put down the drain can affect the performance of their biological treatment systems. We, at Bio-Microbics, published a comprehensive Do’s & Don’ts list to care for a septic system and wastewater treatment systems in our FAST® Owner’s Manual. As in the case with Bio-Microbics, we recommend homeowners and owners with properties that use a biological wastewater treatment system use biodegradable cleaners, such as Mighty Mike® All-Purpose Cleaners and Liquid Laundry Detergents. Rated safe for use around waterways and originally offered only for the marine industry, the Mighty Mike® cleaners were designed to comply with the required, strict effluent standards of the marine marketplace and textile industries. Cleaners must comply to biodegradable standards for use with biological wastewater/sewage treatment systems.

To be considered ‘biodegradable”, the organic ingredients in the product must degrade at least 80% in soil for a period of 28 days. Proven to degrade 97.3% in the soil, the Mighty Mike® Cleaning Products are fully tested to the effectiveness ...
... and safety claims by the Degradation/Accumulation test for determining the inherent biodegradability of organic compounds under aerobic conditions (such as a septic drain field). The remaining 2.7% residue falls under the natural mineral category. The organic ingredients of Mighty Mike® break down into nontoxic elements quickly and are not inhibitory to the treatment process in any septic or advanced wastewater treatment system.

Approved by the USDA for use around food preparing surfaces and certified “non-toxic” by Duke University, Mighty Mike® contains only purified water and natural cleaning agents (Coconut and Palm Oil surfactants) that are derived from sustainably sourced raw materials and are safe to clean nearly everything in your home or office.

Did you know that cleaning products are not required to list ingredients? These undisclosed and often toxic ingredients are entering the environment or causing upset conditions in biological treatment systems. Products containing quaternary ammonia (which most conventional cleaners contain) should not be used. A good test is to smell the product some products contain heavy fragrances to mask strong chemical smells. To help protect your home and the environment, avoid choosing conventional cleaning products that contain: alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), ammonia, butyl cellosolve (aka butyl glycol, ethylene glycol monobutyl), diethanolamine (DEA), D-limonene, glycol ethers, nonylphenols (NPEs), petroleum-based ingredients, phosphates, sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfates, terpenes, triclosan, etc.

Scienco/FAST – a division of Bio-Microbics has a track record of being environmentally and socially responsible. As a global manufacturer of marine sanitation devices – the MarineFAST® systems – which are installed on the “greenest boats in the world,” Scienco/FAST continuously strives to offer the safest and most effective cleaners in the market.

To learn more about Bio-Microbics Inc., visit www.biomicrobics.com; or Mighty Mike® visit Scienco/FAST at www.sciencofast.com.

Jane has been writing for the Environment-Friendly Wastewater Treatment Solutions website along with other industry websites for over three years now. Her experience in helping companies find the right environmentally-friendly solution for wastewater treatment are all well noted in other popular industry publications as well.