Warning issued to UK shoppers buying washing-up liquid
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Consumers have been urged to rethink their buying habits to reduce plastic waste. Ecover, the ecological cleaning product company, has issued a warning to UK shoppers about the environmental impact of continuously purchasing washing-up liquid in plastic bottles.
![[More than 52 million tonnes of plastic waste enter the environment each year globally]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/15/07/dishwasher.jpg)
Washing up liquid is typically sold in single-use plastic bottles and UK households go through millions of these each year. In 2016, less than half of plastic bottles made for household items were collected for recycling and just seven per cent of those collected made it to being recycled. Meanwhile, 12.7 million plastic bottles end up in the sea each year, which has a detrimental impact on marine life.
Ecover is urging shoppers to rethink their usual buying habits and opt for buying refillable washing-up liquid products that are sold in recyclable packaging. Ecover said: “In 2016, less than half of all plastic bottles were collected for recycling and only 7 per cent of those were turned into new bottles. The resulting impact on waterways and marine life is, to put it bluntly, horrifying – with an estimated 12.7 million tonnes ending up in oceans each year.”.
The company has created more than 700 refill stations across the UK, where consumers can stock up on washing up liquid, laundry detergent or toilet cleaner without the concern of contributing to plastic waste. Ecover has also pledged to stop using virgin plastic in its packaging altogether.
The company’s Long Term Innovation Manager, Tom Domen, said in a statement on its site: “Ecover needs to totally rethink plastic. Today we are making public our long-term ambition to stop using virgin plastic. It may take us several years, but it is an important goal for us and the planet.”.
