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Communities
to get help
with pollutants in sewer systems, according to SMART
PR Newswire - 8/1
After years of
struggling with increasing numbers of industrial pollutants in
community sewer systems, local publicly-owned wastewater treatment
plants (POTWs) will get some relief via the federal Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), according to the Inside EPA newsletter.
The EPA is about
to issue a rule that requires users of industrial rental
"shop" towels to remove free liquids (wring out excess
solvents and other fluids) before sending them to industrial
laundries for washing. The EPA hopes this practice will prevent a
majority of highly toxic pollutants from passing into local POTWs.
Laundered
industrial rental towels are responsible for over 80% of the 13
million pounds of highly toxic pollutants discharged by the
nation's industrial laundries into local POTWs. These pollutants
include organic chemicals and heavy metals, which have been linked
to cancer.
When the EPA
completed a national survey in 1999 to assess the size of the
problem as it impacted local POTWs, they learned that more than
25% of the local POTWs had difficulties in handling the
discharges.
Industrial wipers
are used for maintenance and clean-up by many manufacturing
plants, machine shops and other operations. Industrial wipers are
either disposable, or are washed and reused (known as
"rental" or "shop" towels).
Although most
commercial laundries in the US practice some type of pre-
treatment for industrial rental towels before washing, over 87%
have no way of removing significant amounts of these pollutants.
So they are frequently discharged into local wastewaters and/or
surface water.
With the new
rule, the EPA will assume oversight for the process, and companies
that use industrial wipers will, for the first time, have clearly
written rules to follow. Currently, industrial rental towels have
been managed at local, county and state levels - each with
different standards and disposability regulations.
Industry
organizations expect this new rule will put an end to the
hodgepodge of conflicting and confusing regulations that have made
it difficult for companies to follow
More specifics of
the new EPA rule are contained in an Executive Summary developed
by SMART (Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles) Association
for local communities and customers. For a copy write to the
Association at 7910 Woodmont Ave., Suite 1130, Bethesda, MD 20814,
or email to smartasn@erols.com. Ask for the EPA Executive Summary
1-2002.
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