| Overall Rating | Reporter - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | |
| Liaison | Rebecca Jones |
| Submission Date | Feb. 29, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Austin College
OP-13: Cleaning Products Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Peter
Schulze Director Center for Environmental Studies |
Does the institution have an institution-wide stated preference to purchase third party certified cleaning and janitorial products?:
A copy of the green cleaning product purchasing policy, directive, or guidelines:
The green cleaning product purchasing policy, directive, or guidelines:
A brief description of steps the institution has taken to ensure that the purchasing policy, directives, or guidelines are followed:
Our cleaning contractor is ARAMARK. They continually seek green alternative cleaning products and methods. At present two of the three main products they use here are Green Seal approved (Floor Star Light Duty Cleaner 4 and All Purpose Cleaner 2)
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (expenditures on cleaning and janitorial products)?:
Expenditures on Green Seal and/or UL Environment (EcoLogo) certified cleaning and janitorial products:
Total expenditures on cleaning and janitorial products:
Has the institution's main cleaning or housekeeping department(s) and/or contractor(s) adopted a Green Seal or ISSA certified low-impact, ecological (“green”) cleaning program?:
A brief description of the institution’s low-impact, ecological cleaning program:
Our housekeeping contractor ARAMARK uses two innovative cleaning systems that they consider environmentally sensitive. They use the ECOLAB-Hydris system to produce disinfectant solutions. The Hydris system uses an onsite machine to generate weak bleach solutions from salt tablets and water. According to ECOLAB this reduces the weight of freight by 99% because liquid solutions are not shipped, and it ensures that employees do not use more bleach than necessary. According to the EPA approval document the Hydris system produces a solution of 0.09% sodium hypochlorite (http://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/001677-00241-20130917.pdf). Three solutions of Hydris are created for different cleaning purposes; 50 ppm, 100 ppm, and 250 ppm.The hazard of a spill of cleaning solutions during shipping is also elminated with this system. Rather than liquids, solid mineral salts are shipped and automatically mixed with water onsite in ECOLABs machine. Floor cleaners use the Tennant ecH2O scrubbers that generates a temporary electrical charge in water, which then collects dirt electrostatically(http://www.orbio.com/am-en/Pages/default.aspx?noredirect=1&locale=2&sid=9c66d954-71cc-4149-9448-5c7f8585bf11&ls=0). Only water is added into the floor cleaning machinery. No other chemicals are necessary. When necessary, but not often, staff use EnVerros products to clean situations that require heavy duty treatment, such as grease removal or steel polishing. 85-90% of their cleaning services use Hyrdis solutiions. The following website describes the basics of the ARAMARK system. Workers use microfiber towels and mop pads which are washed at the end of each working day, totaling to roughly 8-9 loads of laundry.
A copy of the sections of the cleaning contract(s) that reference certified green products:
The sections of the cleaning contract(s) that reference certified green products:
The website URL where information about the institution’s green cleaning initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.