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4/22/2009
How they went green -- and you can, too - THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN
Stacey Shepard
CLEAN AND GREEN Today Cleaners, a locally owned dry cleaner, has found that going green can alleviate regulatory burdens. In 2001, after hearing reports of heavy contamination caused by the standard dry cleaning solvent perchloroethylene, the company invested in a new system. It chose GreenEarth Cleaning, a process that uses liquid silicone, and is non-toxic and non-hazardous, according to its manufacturer. By contrast, perchloroethylene is a suspected carcinogen, a regulated air pollutant and one of the most common contaminants found in groundwater. Dry cleaners who use it must obtain air pollution permits and send waste to a special hazardous waste facility. In fact, in 2007, California enacted laws to phase out the use of the chemical. At the time, the Associated Press reported that 70 percent of the state's dry cleaners still used it. It cost Today Cleaners about $1 million to buy new machines and pay licensing fees for the technology. "It did have a price tag attached but we thought the cost of not doing something may be greater," said Mike Daniels, company general manager. In addition, the company no longer has to worry about air regulations, permits or hazardous waste disposal, which had cost about $1,500 to $2,000 each month. Today Cleaners and its sister company Sparkle Textile Rental, a linen and uniform supply business, have taken other steps to reduce their environmental impact. The companies replaced a natural gas water heating system with one that uses waste heat captured from the boiler exhaust stacks, cutting costs 25 to 30 percent, Daniels said. The companies have reduced waste, too, through paperless billing and a wire hanger recycling program. "These things didn't come to us all at once," Daniels said. "They're ideas that we learned about and thought about how they could work for us." http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x443327631/How-they-went-green-and-you-can-too
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