Is Zep Citrus Degreaser biodegradable? (5 steps to recycle)

The article will explain the biodegradability of Zep Citrus Degreaser and will also shed light on associated topics such as

Eco-friendly or not?
Best disposal options
Recycling
Toxic or not?

Is Zep Citrus Degreaser biodegradable?

Zep citrus degreaser is biodegradable because of the ingredients that makeup Zep Citrus Degreaser can degrade readily. It also avoids the use of acids, petroleum distillates, chlorinated hydrocarbons or chlorinated aromatic solvents.

The article will also discuss the factors or points that rendered Zep Citrus Degreaser not eco-friendly including the use of mild and toxic ingredients and the use of virgin plastic and will also make comments on how Zep Citrus Degreaser is eco-friendly.

The recycling aspect of Zep Citrus Degreaser will also be deliberated and home steps to recycle the empty bottles of Zep Citrus Degreaser will also be given.

Is Zep Citrus Degreaser sourced from nature?

If we explore the case of Zep Citrus Degreaser, the active ingredient that is present inside is Limonene or d-limonene which is sourced from nature and therefore, can be given the status of being naturally sourced.

As per the official deliberations, other ingredients present in the Zep citrus degreaser include

C9-11 Pareth-3
Citrus Extract
Sodium olefin sulphonate
BHT
Ether
EDTA

If we deliberate the information present on the net and MSDS, it can be seen that most of these ingredients are sourced from nature and therefore, can be given the status of being biodegradable.

However, one element that we need to be mindful of is the fact that these ingredients are sourced from nature. This means that there will be some synthetic deliberation required to extract these ingredients and utilise them in consumer products such as Zep Citrus Degreaser.

Is Zep Citrus Degreaser eco-friendly?

Although Zep Citrus Degreaser is sourced from nature, and one may not be reluctant to give it the status of being biodegradable, it does not mean that the Zep Citrus Degreaser is eco-friendly as well.

The above stance is made on the fact that some of the ingredients used in the making of Zep Citrus Degreaser may be of some controversy.

Let us take the example of d-limonene. D-limonene is sourced from nature but there is some toxicity associated with the use of d-limonene. As per some research, d-limonene was found to introduce moderate levels of toxicities in animals including aquatic life.

This means that it will not be advised to drain the Zep Citrus Degreaser because the drainage system eventually connects to water bodies such as seas and oceans.

And there is a whole living system inside these aquatic and marine ecosystems. When the remains of Zep Citrus degreaser enter these systems, there will be toxic effects rendered on species that reside inside.

Another example that can be cited is the ingredient such as Sodium olefin sulphonate. This is also known to introduce milder levels of toxicity in animals such as mice and rats and therefore, this means that one needs to be careful with the disposal of Zep Citrus Degreaser.

Let us explore one more example. As per environmental research, C9-11 Pareth-3 is known to cause acute aquatic toxicity. This means that the introduction of Zep Citrus degreaser is highly not recommended because of the toxic effects rendered on animal life.

The other side of the story?

However, as it is said that there are two sides to every coin. The same is the case of Zep Citrus Degreaser. While there are factors that render Zep Citrus Degreaser not eco-friendly, some factors render its status otherwise.

For example, one of the factors is that Zep Citrus Degreaser is made from naturally-sourced ingredients that can degrade readily as per the official information given by the producers.

Also, as per the manufacturers, there are a number of steps taken by the Zep Stewardship Program that aim to achieve the following goals

Reduce carbon footprint
Reduce water pollution
Increased transparency, especially through labels so that consumers may make the right sustainable choices

Can Zep Citrus Degreaser be recycled?

There are two elements or parameters that can be explored when an attempt is made to answer this question. This includes

Is Zep Citrus Degreaser made from recycled plastic?
Can Zep Citrus Degreaser bottles be recycled?

As per the first question, there is no particular information present on the website or any other blogs. This means that Zep Citrus Degreaser is made from virgin plastic and not recycled plastic.

However, as per the other question, there is good news. The Zep Citrus Degreaser is made from plastic bottles and plastic bottles can be easily and widely accepted for recycling.

However, you need to make sure that the bottle is empty and that there is no source or chance of any contamination whatsoever.

How to? (5 steps)

The next big question is how to recycle Zep Citrus Degreaser bottles. For this, there are certain steps or points that you can be mindful of. These include

Make sure to properly clean the Zep Citrus Degreaser bottles. You also need to make sure that you have used the inside contents entirely to make sure that you are one step closer to resource conservation
Before the disposal, you also can consider reusing options such as arts, and crafts, DIY projects, or refuelling.
After that, you can discard the empty Zep Citrus Degreaser bottles in recycling bins.
If there are no recycling bins around, you may consider contacting the local recycling centres to either arrange a drop-off or pick-up.
If there is no local recycling centre near you (which is very rare), you may consider contacting a third-party, private venture such as TerraCycle.

Is Zep Citrus Degreaser Toxic to animals?

Yes, Zep Citrus Degreaser is known to be toxic to animals because some ingredients used in the Zep Citrus Degreaser are known to cause mild to acute toxicity to animals such as mice or fish. These may include:

D-limonene
C9-11 Pareth-3
Sulfonate

D-limonene is sourced from nature but there is some toxicity associated with the use of d-limonene. As per some research, d-limonene was found to introduce moderate levels of toxicities in animals including aquatic life.

This means that it will not be advised to drain the Zep Citrus Degreaser because the drainage system eventually connects to water bodies such as seas and oceans.

What is the best way to dispose of Zep Citrus Degreaser?

The best way to dispose of Zep Citrus Degreaser is to completely use and utilise it and recycle the empty bottles once the contents are empty. It is important to make sure that the disposal is done correctly otherwise the bottles will remain in the landfills for many years.

Conclusion

It is concluded that Zep citrus degreaser is biodegradable because the ingredients that makeup Zep Citrus Degreaser can degrade readily. It also avoids the use of acids, petroleum distillates, chlorinated hydrocarbons or chlorinated aromatic solvents.

The article also discussed the factors or points that rendered Zep Citrus Degreaser not eco-friendly including the use of mild and toxic ingredients and the use of virgin plastic and also made comments on how Zep Citrus Degreaser is eco-friendly.

The recycling aspect of Zep Citrus Degreaser was also deliberated and home steps to recycle the empty bottles of Zep Citrus Degreaser were also given.

References

Zep Stewardship Overview. Retrieved from: https://zep.com/pages/sustainability

EWG. C9-11 Pareth-3. Retrieved from: https://www.ewg.org/guides/substances/7738-C911PARETH3/
What is in it? Zep Citrus Degreaser. Retrieved from: https://www.whatsinproducts.com/types/type_detail/1/20334/standard/p%20class=%22p1%22%3Espan%20style=%22color:

Kim, Y. W., Kim, M. J., Chung, B. Y., Bang, D. Y., Lim, S. K., Choi, S. M., … & Lee, B. M. (2013). Safety evaluation and risk assessment of d-limonene. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, 16(1), 17-38.