Sustainability and Environmental Management Section (SEMS) Current News and weekly reporting
Sustainability Tip of the week: Efficient Dishwashing
It may seem counterintuitive, but washing dishes by hand uses much more water than using a dishwasher. Thus, if you have a dishwasher at home, try to make good use of it. If you are considering a new dishwasher, ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers typically use one-third less water than non-qualified models in addition to saving energy. The average ENERGY STAR qualified dishwasher uses 4 gallons per cycle, while the average non-qualified dishwasher uses 6 gallons a cycle. To save even more water, look for a dishwasher with a low water factor.
Also, scrape rather than rinse your dishes. Pre-rinsing dishes before loading the dishwasher can use up to 20 gallons of water. Modern dishwashers and detergents are designed to do the cleaning so you don't have to pre-rinse. If your dirty dishes are going to sit overnight, use your dishwasher's rinse feature. It uses a fraction of the water needed to hand rinse.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, if all U.S. households installed water-efficient appliances, the country would save more than 3 trillion gallons of water and more than $18 billion dollars per year.
| Household Hazardous Waste - If you walk around your garage, chances are you'll probably find hazardous materials or products you and your family use every day. Leftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients are considered to be household hazardous waste (HHW). Dispose of HHW safely at the City’s Hazardous Product Center. For more information call (928) 527-9005 or visit http://flagstaff.az.gov/hazwaste. |
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