Bernice Liau Wei Ting (FASS), Cheng Li Yi (FoS), Chua Chung Boon Roy (FoE), Ong Yan Ting (FASS), Pua Zhao Chen (FoS)
Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin
Laundry detergent is an ubiquitous and indispensable household commodity. However, detergent use could cause serious environmental repercussions, as chemicals such as phosphates in detergents could end up in water bodies via the wastewater system. This could lead to eutrophication and harm aquatic life. Excessive use of detergent would thus exacerbate these detrimental effects, and yet our preliminary survey shows that among the student community, there is little consciousness of the appropriate use of detergent. With the aim of alleviating these harmful consequences of laundry detergent, our project strives to promote consumer awareness about these repercussions and encourage good laundry habits, through educating the RVRC community on appropriate detergent usage and dosage. Our project has two approaches. First, we will provide weighing scales and measuring cups in the laundry room for residents to weigh their laundry load and to measure the appropriate dosage. Charts will be put up to inform residents of the appropriate amount of detergent to use based on the weight of their load. Our second approach involves educating the RVRC community on the harmful effects of laundry detergent and provide tips to encourage a change of laundry habits. Also, we will promote the use of detergent with the Eco-green label. Educational posters will be put up around RVRC to raise awareness. Finally, the success of our approaches on survey will be based on survey responses from the RVRC community.
Keywords: Culture and Lifestyle Trends, Responsible Consumption, laundry detergent, water