dgk wrote:

And they did this terrible thing because they wanted dirtier dishes?
Perhaps it was because shoving phosphates into the sewer causes
problems elsewhere

No, they don't. Phosphate is a naturally occurring element and a fertilizer. The
amount of phosphates that come from naturally occurring runoff far exceeds what
comes from treated sewage or household use.

This whole problem traces back to some environmental activists in Spokane,
Washington. Spokane was under court order to upgrade their sewage treatment
plant. They didn't want to spend the money, so they banned the use of phosphate
detergents as a feel good way of not fixing the problem. A few more states
joined in. P&G said they couldn't maintain separate formulations on a state by
state basis, so they removed the phosphates nationwide. The other manufacturers
followed along.