Re: [TheThinkTank] Disposing of used simple green

-- Sincerely, Jonathan Morrison Project Coordinator Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective 2312 S. West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84115 w: 801-328-2453 c: 801-688-0183 f: 801-466-3856 www.slcbikecollective.org On 6/22/07, durham bike collective durham_bikes@yahoo.com wrote: > > As far as being green, non-toxic, biodegradable etc. wherever possible: is > there any collective wisdom out there on a non-petrolium, non super-yukko > lube (and grease, for that matter)? The Durham Bike Co-op's just gotten off > the ground, so we've used what's on hand mostly (tri-flow, park polylube), > but tri-flow smells something awful and I'm not thrilled about putting it > into the environment at all ... looking around the internet there seems to > be some things out there (pedro's has something out that's supposed to be > biodegradable, also a bunch of vegetable-based lubes designed for heavier > applications like chainsaws...) Anyone out there have some positive > experiences / knowledge to share? > > peace, > Colin. > > *Nathan Pierce natnc17@yahoo.com* wrote: > > good point about getting peeps out of cars. If all the > people in cars rode bikes, then we spilled all the > used simple green from cleaning all the more bikes, it > would still be less pollution than all the cars were > previously making. > > Still: give a hoot, don't pollute. > > I don't mean to bag on anyone about pouring bad stuff > on trees. (And I don't want to debate it.) I just > wanted to point it out because some people still don't > know that what goes on the ground goes into our ground > water or into the rivers and oceans. > > Peace out. > > > From, > Nathan > > > --- sprocket wrote: > > > Nathan, I share your distrust of government > > regulatory agencies, but > > short of conducting our own tests, where else can we > > look for conclusive > > answers? I see your point about the waste from > > petroleum based > > lubricants etc. getting into the waste stream, but I > > think it would help > > to put that problem into perspective a little. > > Multiple 10's of thousands of cars drive through the > > downtown Tucson > > area every day spewing hydrocarbons and various > > deadly oxides into our > > air, and they leave behind them on the road > > surfaces, tons upon tons of > > tire dust (600,000 tons per year in the US), brake > > fluid, oil, etc. What > > doesn't go airborne washes into our storm sewers and > > straight into the > > Santa Cruz river which brought life to this valley > > in the first place. > > The story is the same in every city. My point here > > is that we are much > > better off focusing our efforts on getting people > > out of their cars and > > onto a bicycle than wasting energy fretting about an > > environmental > > impact that when compared to the larger > > environmental violence > > associated with the use of automobiles, doesn't add > > up to a hill of beans. > > > > > > my 2 cents, > > > > Ian > > > > > > > > > > Nathan Pierce wrote: > > > That's surprising about simple green, and makes me > > > feel a little better. (Though I don't thoroughly > > trust > > > EPA when it comes to that sort of thing... and the > > FDA > > > for that matter.) Yet using simple green to clean > > > parts adds other things besides the "simple" > > green, > > > which are bad for the soil and water... and runoff > > of > > > oil products pollutes a disproportionate amount of > > > water. > > > > > > I like Chris and Re-Cycles suggestions of coffee > > > filters to lengthen useful life [for whatever > > > cleaner], followed by the hazardous waste > > disposal. > > > > > > > > > > > > from, > > > Nathan > > > > > > > > > --- sprocket wrote: > > > > > > > > >> I let most of the stuff on this list float by, > > but > > >> Nathan, your comments > > >> piqued my interest. So, I did some research and > > >> found the simple green's > > >> Material Safety Data Sheet. > > >> (http://consumer.simplegreen.com/cons_msds.php) > > >> Here's what it had to say about putting simple > > green > > >> in the soil: > > >> > > >> Biodegradability: Simple Green is readily > > decomposed > > >> by naturally > > >> occurring microorganisms....Per OECD Closed > > Bottle > > >> Test, Simple Green(r) > > >> meets OECD and EPA recommendations for ready > > >> biodegradability. > > >> > > >> In a standard biodegradation test with soils from > > >> three different > > >> countries, Butyl Cellosolve reached 50% > > degradation > > >> in 6 > > >> to 23 days, depending upon soil type, and > > exceeded > > >> the rate of > > >> degradation for glucose which was used as a > > control > > >> for > > >> comparison. > > >> > > >> Environmental Toxicity Information: Simple Green(r) > > is > > >> considered > > >> practically non-toxic per EPA's Aquatic toxicity > > >> scale. > > >> -- > > >> > > >> Seems like as cleaners go, this stuff is pretty > > >> benign, which I think is > > >> why Bicas and a lot of other places use it. The > > main > > >> active ingredient > > >> is butoxyethanol, which decomposes in the > > >> environment within a few days > > >> and has not been identified as a major > > environmental > > >> contaminant. It is > > >> not known to build up in any plant or animal > > >> species. And curiously, > > >> simple green is the substance used to clean the > > oil > > >> slick off of sea > > >> life when oil tankers spill their muck into the > > >> ocean. > > >> > > >> I can't imagine that butoxyethanol is what makes > > >> Bicas' mesquite tree > > >> grow...I'd bet that its all the extra water its > > >> getting...desert trees > > >> love to be watered. > > >> > > >> cheers, > > >> > > >> Ian > > >> > > >> > > >> ---------- > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> Nathan Pierce wrote: > > >> > > >>> Oh my God... that is so bad for the ground (and > > >>> > > >> ground > > >> > > >>> water) and surface runoff when it rains. > > >>> > > >>> Most communities have household hazardous waste > > >>> collection facilities, just for these types of > > >>> chemicals that are dangerous, bad for the > > >>> > > >> environment, > > >> > > >>> and they don't want in the landfill. > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> From, > > >>> Nathan > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> --- troy neiman wrote: > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>>> well, we here at bicas use a sink which drains > > >>>> > > >> into > > >> > > >>>> a bucket. the used > > >>>> simple green usually ends up in there and then > > we > > >>>> pour the bucket, when > > >>>> full onto our mesquite tree in front. i never > > >>>> > > >> would > > >> > > >>>> have thought but we > > >>>> have been doing it long before i was involved > > >>>> > > >> here. > > >> > > >>>> the tree loves it > > >>>> and has grown from just a 4 foot shrub into a > > >>>> > > >> full > > >> > > >>>> grown 25 foot tree in > > >>>> 5 or 6 years. maybe simple green, grease and > > >>>> > > >> hand > > >> > > >>>> cleaner act as a > > >>>> growth hormones or something. also we try to > > >>>> encourage that people first > > >>>> dilute the easy green, use minimal amounts of > > the > > >>>> stuff if soaking parts > > >>>> is absolutely necessary and also reuse it if > > >>>> possible as many times as we > > >>>> can. troybicas > > >>>> > > >>>> ----- Original Message ----- > > >>>> From: "Andy Dyson" > > >>>> To: "The Think Tank" > > >>>> Subject: [TheThinkTank] Disposing of used > > >>>> > > >> simple > > >> > > >>>> green > > >>>> Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:39:21 -0400 > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> Ah, friendly simple green. Such a nice name. > > Is > > >>>> there anything you > > >>>> can > > >>>> do to this stuff to feel better about > > disposing > > >>>> > > >> of > > >> > > >>>> it. What do you > > >>>> guys > > >>>> do? . > > >>>> > > >>>> -- > > >>>> Andrew C. Dyson > > >>>> Executive Director Neighborhood Bike Works > > >>>> Increasing opportunities for youth through > > >>>> bicycling > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> Check our Web Site: > > >>>> http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> Neighborhood Bike Works > > >>>> 3916 Locust Walk, > > >>>> Philadelphia, PA 19104 > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> Office: (215) 386-0316 > > >>>> Cell: (215) 873-6695 > > >>>> FAX: (215) 386-7288 > > >>>> > > >>>> > > _______________________________________________ > > >>>> thethinktank mailing list > > >>>> thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> > > > > > > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o... > > > > > >>> > > >>> > > >>>> -- > > >>>> Get a Free E-mail Account at Mail.com http://mail.com/! > > >>>> Choose From 100+ Personalized Domains > > >>>> Visit http://www.mail.com today > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>>> > > _______________________________________________ > > >>>>> > > >>>>> > > >>>> thethinktank mailing list > > >>>> thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> > > > > > > > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o... > > > > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > > > > > >>> Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection. > > > > >>> Try the free Yahoo! 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