How can wood furniture manufacturers pollution prevention efforts help industrial laundries?
Often small amounts of hazardous materials are left in industrial shop towels and wipes after use. The wipes are usually not treated as hazardous waste and are often cleaned by industrial laundries for re-use. Wipes and towels from wood furniture manufacturing shops often contain coatings, solvents and adhesives composed of hazardous materials. These chemicals are transferred to the industrial laundry’s wastewater during washing. Efforts by wood furniture manufacturers to reduce the amount of hazardous substances they use and discard in wipes will reduce the pollutant load in the laundries’ wastewater. Pollution prevention efforts to substitute less hazardous cleaners, oils, solvents and adhesives will benefit both wood furniture manufacturers and industrial laundries. The pollution prevention ideas in this fact sheet may help you lessen the overall impact of your facility on the environment as well as potentially reduce operating costs. P2 Opportunities Identify and Use Less Hazardous
