Reducing or eliminating hazardous substances is an important business decision. Permits Protecting worker health submitting required reports training employees These costs add up, and finding alternatives to these substances should be a priority.
Alternatives are available and often out-perform old process equipment and chemicals.
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.