Green cleaning services are a necessary aspect of integrated zero waste initiatives.

Zero waste initiatives have three primary goals:

• Prevent waste.
• Reuse and recycle, and;
• The safe handling of toxic products.

To achieve Minneapolis’ goal of 80% recycled or composted waste by 2030, schools and businesses must implement eco-friendly green cleaning practices and chemical management systems.

For More Information:

• Environmental Initiative – City of Minneapolis Zero Waste Plan

Prevent Waste

Man cannot live and survive amidst waste. A clean environment that includes clean air, water, land and energy, is essential for human existence, conducting business, and creating wealth. These components must be sustained through conservation and proper management. Additionally, by-products of human activity should be separated from man at the sanitary level the cleaning process provides.

-Cleaning and the Environment

The primary objective of green cleaning services is to provide a comparable to superior level of clean when compared to conventional chemicals and methods without polluting the environment.

That objective is achieved in several ways:

• Eliminating the use of toxic cleaning chemicals across the board in favor of eco-friendly, biodegradable products.
• Purchasing and storing concentrated green products in bulk to eliminate waste and pollution resulting from the regular transportation of diluted chemicals.
• Implementing technologically advanced cleaning tools, such as advanced extractors and microfiber cloths that significantly reduce the amount of water and gas (hot water) needed.

Reuse and Recycle

A secondary objective of green cleaning practices is sustainability, which mandates the use of efficient and effective tools that require minimal maintenance but can outlast and outperform conventional counterparts, such as cotton or cloth.

Microfiber is superior to cotton or cloth in several ways:

• Microfiber lasts longer than cloth or cotton, meaning there is less contribution to landfill waste.
• As mentioned, microfiber requires significantly less water than cotton to wash clean, resulting in fewer bucket changes per cleaning cycle.
• Microfiber dries three times faster than cotton cloths or towels, reducing the amount of gas used–ultimately leading to a reduced need to extract natural gas from the earth.

For More Information:

• Cotton Versus Microfiber

Safely Handle Toxic Products

While green cleaning products are non-toxic by nature, they are commonly stored in aandnbsp;concentrated form, and require specialized training to handle, as well as equipment to properly dilute.

Additionally, purchasing and deploying chemical management systems will eliminate a worker’s direct contact with cleaning chemicals, as well as the guess work required to dilute the products, resulting in savings on both water and product waste, as well as the potential for employee injury.

If your school or business is considering the implementation of a sustainability program aligned with Minneapolis’ stated goals of waste reduction, the first step is to consult with an experienced professional to assist your organization with navigating many of the pitfalls and fail-points along the way.

Outsourcing sustainability and zero waste initiatives to an experienced vendor have several advantages:

• Reduces the total amount of time required to move from planning to full adoption, resulting in significant savings.
• Eases the burden of training staff unfamiliar with certain practices or chemical handling requirements, especially in regulated businesses, such as doctor’s offices and hospitals, and;
• Simplifies vendor management by centralizing service and product purchasing through a single account.

References

• How Zero Waste Initiatives Affect Businesses
• Zero Waste
• What’s so great about microfiber?

Takeaway

Aligning your business or school now with socially, economically, and ecologically motivated sustainability programs and zero waste initiatives will ensure the longevity of your organization, and the health and welfare of your staff, customers, and students.

Green cleaning is well aligned with the top priorities of both initiatives and is an essential requirement to achieve the full benefits of either.

The most cost-effective route to realizing the full potential of these programs is to outsource to a professional vendor with years of experience providing green cleaning services to Minneapolis schools and businesses.

TAKE ACTION

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Vanguard Cleaning Systems of Minnesota can help you consider all your needs and options before you make a move. Download our free guide, “8 Steps to Hiring a Commercial Cleaning Company”