From using certain light bulbs to investing in electric cars. As well as trucks or buses, many companies across the country. Because they have found ways to make their business a little greener. But what about your company? How many green procedures, technologies or tools have you brought into the workplace?
Ideally, by 2020 your business or place of employment has begun implementing numerous initiatives to become a little greener. If this has not happened, your company is missing out.
As early as 2008 business owners were noting that green business practices often helped companies compete. Especially in today’s global market. It’s beneficial in strengthening a company’s bottom line. Moreover their impact on the environment.
Going green is something businesses should take very seriously. Today, green absorbent products are just one of the tools our industries often implement. Other tools we often see include spill control tools. Also supplementary absorbent products. Finally, a range of absorbent rags and wipers.
While absorbent rags and wipers are necessary in industrial businesses, these items often have major environmental and workplace safety drawbacks. Businesses need to take this into consideration, especially if they’re looking for ways to cut costs and “greenify” their workspace. Here are just a few fact you might now know about the environmental impact of towels, rags, and wipers.
Shop towels:
Chances are that your industrial business has several boxes of generic washable shop towels. All being used at any given moment. Shop towels serve a number of functions. That’s from simply cleaning sweaty or greasy hands to wiping up small spills.
However, these reusable and washable cloths are an imperfect tool. Shop towels cannot effectively handle every problem that arises. That’s because of their generic design. Additionally, washing machines typically cannot remove all of the grease and potentially hazardous materials they collect.
Worst of all, shop towels can pollute waterways. All throughout the nation. The EPA is also currently analyzing towel cleaning procedures. So they may one day begin to regulate towel washing and use.
Shop rags:
Shop rags are commonly used in a wide range of shops. Unlike shop towels, shop rags are typically made from old jeans. Also t-shirts, sheets, and other articles of cloth. So recycling these items for cleaning purposes sounds green in nature. However in practice shop rags can quickly become a problem. That’s particularly if any rags used to clean solvents or other hazardous chemical. I mean those that aren’t disposed of correctly. If this happens, the adsorbed products can quickly begin to leak. Now it’s also contaminating soil and water supplies in your community.
Wipers:
Unlike towels and rags, some wipers do the deed. I mean they are designed to meet a range of cleaning needs. That’s for around the workplace.
As is the case with rags and towels, any business using wipers needs to remember to dispose of used wipers properly. That’s particularly if they come into contact with potentially hazardous materials.
Unlike towels and rags, though, many wipers can be incinerated and used for fuel blending. So these processes help to effectively minimize wipers’ wastefulness. All by recycling the used wipers and keeping them out of landfills across the country.
We know towels, rags and wipers are a necessary part of business operations. However knowing the weaknesses of each of these tools can help you. I mean all decide which ones to use and which ones to weed out of your workplace. Here are a few things you can do to help narrow down your decisions. Especially as you consider which items to keep. As well as which ones to remove from your workplace.
Evaluate how many wipers, towels and rags are used by your place of work each month.
Consider the costs of each of these items – not just the financial costs, but the cost of shipping, of disposal, and of any potential hazardous situations and even fines that could be caused or brought on by improper disposal techniques. Remember: if your company works with chemicals that could leak from any used products, your business will be held accountable for accidental contamination in local areas and waterways.
Take a moment to consider your findings and begin developing a plan that will help “greenify” your absorbent tool usage. This will allow your company to begin to develop green policies that will help your company, and the environment, into the future.
In conclusion and as you can see, even if you don’t eliminate towels, rags, and wipers completely, there are still some ways you shuffle around your usage to limit your impact on the environment. Does your business use too many towels, rags or wipers? Did you successfully reduce the number of these items being used around work? Tell us your thoughts and stories in the comments!
