Suddenly Frugal Blog

Recently, I’ve written two posts related to the dishwasher. One was on making the greener choice between washing dishes by hand versus putting them in the dishwasher. The other was on paper plates save more energy over using regular plates that you wash in the dishwasher. In both instances, the dishwasher one the eco-friendly contest hands down.

So in today’s “Best Blog Week Ever” posting, I bring you a combination of both of those popular dishwasher-related posts.

Q: I have three little ones (1, 3 and 4 years) and you can imagine the number of sippy cups and plates we go through. Do you know if it’s better to use paper, which I’m inclined to do for breakfast and lunch, or to run the dishwasher as many as two times a day? I feel as if both aren’t the right choice, for one fills landfills or fills the air with smoke from burning, and the other is so wasteful. Same goes for paper napkins vs. cloth and oh so much more! What have you found that you’d be willing to share?

A: There are a couple of ways of answering this question, especially if budget isn’t a concern. For example, there are companies making “disposable” dishes these days that are made of biodegradable materials, such as corn. Mark Caserta of 3RLiving says that you can find dishes made of bamboo and also sugar cane, both of which are biodegradable. A company called VeneerWare makes the bamboo dishes, and Greenwave makes the sugar cane plates. For other biodegradable plates and dishes, check out what’s listed on the Biodegradable Products Institute website.

In addition to green disposable plates, you can buy plastic utensils that are made from recycled plastic and which are recyclable. Hmm, that makes me wonder: are all plastic utensils recyclable then? Something else to look into. Anyway, if you’re not ready to give up your disposable ways yet, these are options to consider.

As far as saving the environment goes, reusable dishes washed in the dishwasher is definitely the way to go. According to Maria Vargas, a spokesperson with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “there is an embedded energy in paper plates,” meaning that you have to think about the amount of energy used in creating the paper plates. Adds Caserta of 3RLiving, “With paper plates, you are cutting down a tree, trucking it to a paper mill and maybe several factories. The process uses diesel fuel, [and] lots of electricity and water.” The same goes for paper napkins, which is why reusable cloth napkins that you toss in the washing machine make the most sense for anyone trying to live green.

With regards to the dishwasher use, Vargas recommends not washing dishes before loading them (I let my dog do the pre-wash, sort of like this dog is doing) and, with a plug for the EPA’s Energy Star program, suggests that you use Energy Star-compliant appliances so that you know you’re saving the most energy and water possible. Caserta suggests making sure that you run full loads of dishes only and, if you can find it, choose an eco-friendly dishwasher detergent.

Again, the same applies for the washing machine you would use for cleaning your cloth napkins, along with the rest of your clothes. Make sure the machine is Energy Star compliant, always run full loads only and choose detergents that are good for the earth.

Q: Is it more green to use a dishwasher or to wash by hand? I don’t own a dishwasher, and I wash “Asian” style with a small bowl of hot soapy water to dip the washcloth in, scrub the item, then a quick hot rinse from the tap, then onto the drying rack. My husband has always argued that a dishwasher would be more efficient with the water, but I don’t see how it could be. What do you think?

A: The next time that you wash dishes by hand, here’s an experiment I’d like you to try. Stop up the sink over which you hot rinse the dishes, and then at the end of the wash cycle, measure how much water is in there. I’ll bet it’s more than you thought you were using, because when it runs down the drain, you don’t see it. How many gallons did you end up with?

I’m suggesting this experiment because, unbelievably, newer, efficient dishwashers use as little as five gallons of water for the entire dishwasher load. On the other hand, says the American Water Works Association, when you wash dishes by hand, the average person uses 20 gallons of water. Now maybe this figure comes from those that leave the tap on as they’re washing and aren’t conservative with water the way you are. But I’ll bet that it would be a challenge for you to hand wash an entire day’s worth of dishes using five gallons only–for the dipping, washing and rinsing.

Considering that you don’t own a dishwasher, you don’t have one as your back-up option, and I would suggest you continue to wash your dishes in the water-saving manner you’ve been using. But in the future, you may have to question whether getting a dishwasher does make sense as a water- and time-saver.