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Newsletter fall 1998 |
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Cleaners
Celebrate Success:
Despite increases in production, Dana
Corporation's Spicer Clark-Hurth Off-Highway Components Division
in Plymouth eliminated hazardous organic degreasing solvents
and several cleaning products used for building maintenance.
These and other pollution prevention initiatives resulted
in a 98 percent reduction in hazardous waste generated, $200,000
annual savings in reduced chemical purchases and $24,000 annual
reduction in hazardous waste disposal costs.
Clean Up
Your Printing
Vegetable-based and citrus-derived cleaners are on
the menu of alternatives for printers wanting to pass on petroleum-derived
chemicals—like toluene, xylene and methyl ethyl ketone
(MEK). Used to clean printing equipment, those chemicals are
all hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), Toxic Release Inventory
(TRI) reportable and are classified as hazardous when they
are a waste.
Bio-based alternatives contain no petrochemicals.
They are considered nonhazardous and have lower regulatory
costs due to their lower volatile organic compound (VOC) content.
Bolger Publications in St. Paul is using
bio-based cleaning solvents
to clean its presses. Because the press wash is vegetable
oil based it is highly biodegradable and very safe to use.
No protective equipment or special storage is required. Even
the shop towels used with this wash are considered nonhazardous.
"We've been using the cleaner for five
years and it works great," said Charlie Bolger, an executive
officer for the company. "It's very popular with employees.
They are happy to use products that are environmentally friendly."
Hazardous chemicals no longer come into contact with the worker's
skin and there is no foul odor. Less press wash is needed,
saving Bolger at least $2,150 a year. Also with the bio-based
press wash, they generate only one-tenth the amount of waste
as with the petrochemical wash.
Ask your printers if they are using biochemical-based
cleaning solvents and ink additives.
Source: Biochemicals for the Printing Industry,
Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 1997.
Tips
- Seek out the least hazardous cleaning products for your needs.
- For cleaning and degreasing applications in manufacturing facilities, explore natural solvents derived from citrus or pine oils (such as d-limonene), soybean oil or lactic acid to replace petroleum-based solvents.
- When evaluating cleaners for building maintenance, consider:
- Choosing cleaners with a phosphate concentration of 0.5 percent or less by weight.
- Preferring products with a neutral pH.
- Looking for concentrated formulas that work in cold water.
- Labels may not provide enough information. Verify ingredients with the vendor.
- Suggest that staff experiment using less product than the manufacturer recommends to find the minimum amount satisfactory for each use.
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