SPOKANE, Wash. — The Association of Washington Business (AWB) recently honored two textile service companies among a group of seven businesses for their innovative and environmentally sustainable practices with its 2012 Environmental Excellence Awards.
Service Linen Supply, Renton, Wash., and U.S. Linen & Uniform, Richland, Wash., were recognized for Resource Conservation/Pollution Prevention.
Faced with the need to update some of its washers, Service Linen Supply decided rather than replacing just a few machines, it would install “Rosie,” a 79-foot-long, 50,000-pound Milnor CBW® washer with PulseFlow®, the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. The tunnel replaced six washers, reducing the number of people needed to operate machines. It also dramatically reduced water consumption and scaled back the amount of energy required to heat the water. It’s expected to save up to $350,000 per year.
In order to comply with effluent discharge requirements, U.S. Linen & Uniform could have invested in a system that met the basic requirement but did not significantly reduce water or natural gas use. Instead, it chose to spend more than twice the amount on a ceramic micro-filtration and reverse osmosis water system that not only reduces pollutants in its wastewater discharges by nearly 95% but also cuts natural gas usage by 25% and water usage by 50%.
“Washington’s private sector businesses have shown tremendous innovation in the 20 years since we first began our Environmental Excellence Awards,” says AWB President Don Brunell. “The companies we honor have chosen business practices that take into account their impact on the environment. Whether through battery recycling or finding a cheaper way to make solar panels, these companies are successfully demonstrating ways for businesses to be both successful and environmentally sensitive.”
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