At the end of the day, environmentally friendly spill products are easier and safer to use than clay-based cleaning materials, absorb faster, keep employees safe and cost less in the long run.
By Kathy Thompson
For more than 60 years, the waste and recycling industry focused on using clay-based materials to clean up work areas, spills and vehicle leakages. Then, about 10 years ago, a new solution became more prominent—natural products, a better, more cost-effective way to clean up spills and still keep within EPA and OSHA regulations.
Clay-Based Products on the Way Out
While clay-based products were always the norm in fleet maintenance shops as well as waste and recycling facilities, the problem is that although they would pick up some of the spills, it was not very absorbent and, many times, the liquid would leach out.
Not only did it leave the floor slightly slippery, but there would also be a sheen left over and employees would have to use something else to clean up the residue. By the time the spill was taken care of, it would be a 45-minute process and the area would have to be blocked off.
Because clay-based materials can leach out the liquids that are picked up, these types of products are not reusable and not allowed to be disposed of in landfills, resulting in an additional, unnecessary cost to the company. These materials are also a health hazard—many of these products have a warning label on the bags that indicate they could cause lung cancer, so if you keep breathing it in while in use, there could be deadly results.
Turning to Environmentally Friendly Spill Products
On the other hand, environmentally friendly spill products are built to pick up substances the first time, leading to fewer headaches when it comes to leaks and spills. Some of the more sophisticated products encapsulate the spilled liquids, which means that whatever substance is picked up does not leak and you do not have a hazardous, slippery area in your facility, lessening the possibility of slips and falls. In addition, it is safer to use around food, animals and people because the toxins are removed. By working in less than two minutes, there is no waiting, resulting in less time in the affected area and more production. Many environmentally friendly cleaning products are also reusable—people have used it up to five times before having to dispose of it. You can put it back in the same bucket or separate it and keep the new stuff fresh. Some people can even leave it on the floor and sweep it up on the next cleaning.
Because it does not leach, these products can go into a landfill, resulting in cost savings since you do not have to pay for the used material to be pick up and incinerated. The EPA’s goal is to clean up the environment and if you don’t use the proper products, you are adding to the problem. Environmentally friendly spill products meet or exceed all of the standards for safe disposal at the landfill.
Determining the Size of Your Spill Kit
Once you have decided to make the change to environmentally friendly spill products, you are going to have to determine the size of spill kit you need to start with, especially considering the type of environment you work in—maintenance shop, recycling facility, etc. How many spills are you dealing with in a day, week or month? What are your current procedures? How many people are needed to take care of the spill? Even though every company’s needs are different, a typical spill kit should include towels, goggles, little shovels, gloves, brush, scoop, etc. to get you started.
For example, if there is not enough environmentally friendly spill material for a big spill, some of the loose product can be put into socks. These can be used when there is a slow leak—this lasts for a couple of months, long enough to take care of where the leak is coming from. It does not need to be changed out unless it is flowing heavily. If the truck is leaking hydraulic fluid, this is a case where you should carry a full spill kit—in two minutes, you take out the environmentally friendly spill product, put it down, let it absorb the spill, use a brush to scoop up the liquid and you are done.
Maintenance shops usually keep barrels (65 to 95 gallons) full of product with little caddies that everyone can keep at their own station. When they get low, they can fill it up as needed out of the barrel. We encourage you to make it as easy as you can, so your workers are not running back and forth. By having their own caddy at their station, you are saving time and money since the product is reusable as well.
Making the Change
Do not risk the health of your employees and yourself. Not only are there health reasons to making the change from clay-based materials to environmentally friendly spill products, but there is also the potential to reduce slip and fall hazards, in turn reducing the amount of accidents that will happen. These materials work fast when you use it on any surface and once it works, it is bone dry within a couple of minutes.
At the end of the day, environmentally friendly spill products are easier and safer to use than clay-based cleaning materials, absorb faster, keep employees safe and cost less in the long run due to reusability and the ability to dispose of the used material in the landfill. Consider making the change.
For more information on Nviroclean, an environmentally friendly spill remediation product used in many industrial and commercial businesses, contact Marc Rubio at (800) 734-2761 or e-mail [email protected]. Nviroclean is NSF International certified and this product is used in six foreign countries.