Soon after OCBC began refurbishing bikes, I recall this listserv posted a well-reasoned theory, backed by some authority, that bike "grease" (mostly really dried, dirty oil) is, environmentally, less bad in a landfill than in the sewer, where it challenges the filtration plant, and some components (PFAs, perhaps?) don't get removed. This may be why your laundry service is so expensive, Del -- if they are actually doing the right thing with their wastewater. 

We have never run out of rags since we put up a Wish List and included cotton fabric, which we use frugally and then throw in the waste (landfilled), but that does not solve the problem.

I think about this every time I discard a dirty rag in the waste: does anyone with more insight have another perspective?

Do any of y'all use biodegradable lubricants? Or have other ideas on this topic?

Jim

Jim Sheehan
Executive Director
Ohio City Bicycle Co-op
1779 Merwin St
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
216 830 2667
OhioCityCycles.org


On Wed, Jul 12, 2023 at 5:57 PM DEL HOLLAND via TheThinkTank <thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org> wrote:
We choose to buy a used washing machine and used it only for rag washing; we got several more uses out of them that way.

Unfortunately, in my view,  we have gone back to a commercial supplier of rags.  They bring cleaned ones and pick up and treat (wash) our used ones; not cheap.  We have access to hospital surgical new, unused in the surgery rags, but the vendor will not accept them into their stream 🙁

Del Holland
Board Member
Iowa City Bike Library
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