DISPOSABLES
– associated with using rags. A bag of mixed rags takes up more room than an equivalent number of ready- for-use disposable wipers which will typically be supplied in tightly-woven rolls or in individual sheets packed in boxes. Ragbags will therefore require more storage space and fewer bags will fit on to one lorry, which means the number of delivery journeys will increase along with transport costs and vehicle emissions.
To access a rag, too, you need to rummage around in a bag to find a usable one – a hit-and-miss method that is hugely inefficient. Wipers on the other hand either come in the form of a loose roll or are housed in a dispenser. Wipers in dispensers provide the most cost-effective and sustainable solution since a good dispenser will protect the disposables from dirt, moisture or any other form of contamination before use which reduces wastage and keeps down costs.
Dispensers can also help to naturally reduce consumption: for example, our own Tork Performance dispensers for industrial cloths and wipers are designed to allow only one wiper or sheet of paper to be drawn out at a time, which means the user has to make an extra effort to take out more paper than they need.
www.tomorrowscleaning.com
The fact that consumption is controlled means resources are reduced, waste is kept to a minimum and fewer product packs are required per customer which results in fewer pallets, fewer lorries and lower costs.
Everything in the world is ultimately ‘disposable’ and there are several ways of looking at the textiles-versus- disposables debate. For example, now that the charity shop has become the natural recycling centre for our second- hand clothes, how ‘green’ is it to turn usable garments into rags when they still have some wear left in them? And once garments are at the very end of their useful lives and are ragged, soiled and threadbare, how effective will they be as rags in any case?
Looking at other reusable textiles such as terry towelling nappies, laundered cloths and dishcloths, factors such as the production of the raw materials and the environmental toll of repeated laundering also need to be taken into account before a true assessment can be made.
In the final analysis any product that is produced responsibly, can effectively carry out the job for which it is intended and may be discarded ethically after use can be considered to be sustainable – whether it is classed as ‘disposable’ or not.
www.tork.co.uk Tomorrow’s Cleaning | 57
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