Products Used At Work

Although it might appear that reusable, rental shop rags are environmentally
preferable all is not how it appears.

From an environment standpoint,
there are a number of advantages to using disposable wipers--advantages for you and your
business, your employees, and for the preservation of the earth’s valuable
resources.

An independent study of the relative benefit of disposable
wipers and rented shop rags conducted by Project Performance Corporation, an
environmental consulting firm, shows that for variety of reasons, disposable wipers are the
preferred choice.

Utilizing three parameters--energy used, water used,
and waste produced--a life cycle analysis was conducted.

To be consistent
with EPA guidelines, the life cycles of both disposable wipers and rented shop
rags spanned four phases: Raw Material Acquisition, Manufacturing, Industrial
Usage, and Post Usage.

All types of disposable wipers use less
water and generate less waste than laundered shop rags. And many disposable wipers can be used
more than once, thus increasing water conservation and further reducing waste
production.

Disposable
wipers made from recycled textiles use less energy than rented shop rags. They also
contribute 30 percent less waste to landfills than rented shop rags.In a related
study, Lockheed/Martin Environmental Services reported to the EPA Office of
Solid Waste:Disposable wipers made from recycled or waste materials have a lower
overall environmental impact when compared to rental rags, due primarily to the
re-use of materials that would normally be discarded.

The amount of
landfill space occupied by disposable wipers is so small
that solid waste studies can not identify a percentage number that wipers
contribute to the landfill.

The sludge resulting from cleaning rental rags may actually be more of
an environmental threat in the landfill due to the concentrated contaminants and
increased potential for leaking into groundwater.

When large numbers of
rags are collected in one
area, such as at a rental laundry prior to washing, the evaporation of volatile
solvents found on the wipers can result in unhealthy air conditions.

All
disposable wipers have
less negative impact on the environment than rental shop rags.

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