Concern for the environment involves the care for your living area and the surrounding premises. This means that you have to make sure that every component of your home is maintained well so that it remains healthy and sanitized for you and your entire household. It is not new to every homeowner like you that a septic system exists in your property so that your daily wastewater is treated and purified before it returns to the surrounding environment. Ideally, the septic system should only receive biodegradable materials for the bacteria to break down. Once the solid organic materials are decomposed, the pretreated effluent could then pass through to the surrounding drain field that purifies it for reuse in the surrounding environment. Due to hectic schedules and lack of awareness, many homes suffer from septic malfunctions and failures due because non-biodegradable materials are introduced every day into the septic system and its drain field. Paints, grease, and plastics are the major non-biodegradable materials commonly seen in the septic tank. It can be disheartening to experience septic backups and flooding. It is also a risky situation because your household and the surrounding environment are exposed to diseases and filth.
Plactics and nylons are known to block septic’s and their drain field all the time. these substances are made of inorganic compounds that cannot be broken down by both anaerobic and aerobic bacteria. plastics and nylons are found everywhere, even in fibers. That is why laundry water is a very effective medium for transporting these non-biodegradable substances into the drain field. If you do not have a grey water system or a drywell system to take care of your laundry water, your septic tank takes it as well. The plastic fibers in the laundry water end up in the septic tank and stay there to accumulate. They will not be decomposed by the anaerobic bacteria. They will be pushed into the drain field and do more damage there. In the drain field, they will cause blockage and this will bring about septic backups and flooding, which will kill off the aerobic bacteria. If aerobic bacteria die off, the bio mat will increase too much in number that they will also clog the drain field. The drain field will ultimately fail because of the plastics that entered it.
All plastic products, including biodegradable plastics, are synthetic. They will always remain untouched even if their organic components have been broken down. Biodegradable plastics are being manufactured to help in the Green crusade today. Sadly, these are still synthetic. Only the organic components of the plastic are degraded. The inorganic parts are still left. When biodegradable plastics are decomposed, methane is produced as a byproduct. Methane is an odorless, colorless gas that is flammable. It is also toxic when inhaled in huge quantities. If you allow plastics to enter your septic system, your household will be harmed.
You should know how plastics and nylons from laundry water can block a drain field. This way, you can definitely be sure that the septic system in your property has a fully functional drain field. You can prevent plastics and nylons from entering your septic by performing the following:
- Inspect your clothes or fabrics for any loose or damaged parts especially if they are synthetic. These damaged fabrics could leave plastic fibers in your septic system as they go through the washing and rinsing processes.
- Use gentle detergents so that the fabrics will not be corroded.
- Make sure that you install extra filters in your laundry area, inflow pipe, and outflow pipe. These will catch the plastic and nylon fibers that are detrimental to your septic system.
- Have a greywater or dry well system built next to your septic system. It will help you recycle your laundry water to be reused around the home.
Laundry water can definitely contain plastics and nylons. You should do your part in isolating them from your septic to prolong the lives of your drain field and septic tank.