Car wash wastewater must be properly disposed of to avoid polluting the environment and harming wildlife. To do this, follow these eco-friendly car washing tips:
Choose biodegradable soap that’s tough on dirt while being kind to the planet, such as concentrated formula products that reduce packaging waste and plastic usage.
Water Recycling Systems
Water recycling systems can be an extremely efficient way to cut down your car wash’s water consumption. These systems use various treatments to recycle used wash water back into its original state – potentially cutting waste by up to 90% or more!
Most water recycling systems employ sedimentation tanks, oil-water separators and filtration systems to remove contaminants and ensure their recycled water meets state standards for car wash use. Finding an efficient system that completely eradicates chemicals, detergents or waxes present is the key; Gibney suggests checking total dissolved solids (TDS) levels as an indicator that your recycled water meets this threshold and should be safe to reuse.
Reusing recycled water reduces your environmental impact while saving on utility and sewer fees, helping to save on utility bills and sewer fees as well as utility rebates from local governments and utilities.
Utilizing biodegradable soaps and cleaning materials is another great way to reduce water usage at your car wash. These eco-friendly cleaners meet most POTW regulations, contain less harmful chemicals, produce fewer suds, and decrease chemical and soapy wastewater discharged into the environment. Consult with your POTW about reducing how much soap you use per car wash so as to minimize its environmental impact further.
Biodegradable Soaps
Car wash operators can further minimize their environmental impact by taking steps to minimize chemical pollution. Implementing environmentally friendly chemicals that are biodegradable and free of harmful ingredients as well as concentrated solutions and dilution control systems to limit usage help car washes reduce water use per cycle and save water usage costs.
Eco-friendly soaps are comprised of natural plant-based ingredients that break down in the environment without harming it, while being gentler on skin and less harsh than their mainstream counterparts. Furthermore, eco-friendly soaps often offer fresh scents as well as different formula options tailored specifically for different users’ needs.
Biodegradable soaps have the power to significantly decrease contamination in rivers and lakes, helping protect aquatic life while also helping preserve the ecosystem. This can protect ecosystems against further degradation.
Make an eco-friendly choice when washing your car by choosing to wash over gravel or grass rather than on concrete surfaces, as this allows the dirty, chemical-laden water to seep into the ground and be filtered before reaching rivers and mixing in with other sources of water. This will prevent chemical runoff from polluting soil or sewer systems and potentially contaminating them further.
Energy-Efficient Equipment
Use of energy-efficient equipment like high-efficiency motors and pumps can significantly lower your car wash’s energy usage, saving money on utility bills while decreasing environmental impacts. Another method for cutting back energy consumption at your facility includes installing timers and sensors to activate equipment only when necessary and deactivate it once done.
Eco-friendly car wash methods go beyond simply conserving water; they also aim to manage their waste responsibly. Traditional car washes create wastewater containing oil and chemical residues that eventually end up polluting rivers, lakes, or other bodies of water, endangering aquatic life and creating hazardous situations for fisheries. By employing special wastewater treatment systems instead, eco-friendly washes prevent releasing potentially harmful pollutants into natural water bodies.
Wastewater from auto-washes may contain sediments and contaminants, such as sand, rust particles and plant matter, which require treatment in order to be recycled into useable form by car wash operators. With the aid of advanced filtration and purification technologies, closed-loop reclaim systems can efficiently purify this wastewater before returning it for reuse by the car wash itself.
Permeable surfaces and waterless cleaning options can further lessen your facility’s impact on the environment, while reusable cloths can make a significant difference in reducing plastic and paper waste at your car wash, saving on waste disposal costs while drawing eco-conscious customers to your facility.
Rainwater Harvesting
One of the best environmentally-friendly car wash methods is using rainwater as a vehicle wash solution. Rainwater contains no chlorine or fluoride, meaning that it doesn’t leave spots behind on car surfaces and it contains less minerals than tap water which make it perfect for washing vehicles.
Use of rainwater as the main source of water may require investing in large tanks to hold enough for an entire car wash, as well as considering how you’ll treat any wastewater that accumulates from it – open-loop systems allow waste water to filter into soil and sewer, while closed-loop systems filter back into your wash.
Closed-loop systems help lower energy consumption by using renewable sources like hydropower. By shifting away from fossil fuels, closed-loop systems reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
Pre-soaking the car before its actual wash can also help minimize wasteful water use and lower chemical usage by loosening dirt and grime, making removal simpler, reducing scrubbing time and rinse volume. A high-pressure nozzle will further help save on overall water consumption – just make sure only use it when absolutely necessary to avoid overwatering your vehicle or diluting cleaning products too much!
