Posts Tagged ‘Wipers’

Rental shop towels are typically manufactured overseas and shipped  to a commercial laundry facility in the US.  The first use of a laundered shop towel may be as a white towel (virgin use).  Upon return from its first use, the towel may be dyed red or blue and laundered before being shipped to the next industrial customer.  After each round of use, the launderer picks up the dirty  towels from the industrial customer and returns them via truck to the laundry for cleaning.  The dirty towels frequently contain hazardous industrial solvents and chemicals from the processes in which they were used. Each time the dirty  towel is laundered, the waste comes off in the laundering process and can end up in several places: •Volatile Organic Compounds (from solvents) evaporate into the air where they can be inhaled by the laundry workers who load the washers and driers •The solvents and chemicals that were on the towels are washed out into the Publicly Owned Treatment Works •Sludge from the oil, grease, grime and chemicals is collected from the laundering process and usually is disposed of in the landfill. •After laundering, the towels are then sent out again-typically to a different industrial customer – they are returned to generate more VOCs, sludge and water pollution.  A laundered towel may be used many times; but, ultimately, it will become too dirty and ratty for more use and will be discarded in the landfill.

 

Disposable wipers are typically manufactured in the USA.  These product ship direct to a distributor who takes these direct to the customer for use.  After the wipers have been used, they are either sent to a landfill if they are non-hazardous or are picked up by a hazardous waste hauler who properly disposes of the wiper often using methods that result in a waste to energy conversion.

Benefits:

1. Comfort of knowing that hazardous waste has been handled correctly and liability has been minimized.
2. Waste from process is disposed of properly.  Minimizes risk of exposure to public and environment. (alternate statement to first point)
3. No left over contaminants or residue on wiper from previous user.
4. Hazardous waste is hauled only one time to a destination that is prepared to handle it versus a continuous movement of contamination through many cycles of use.

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