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 https://ohiocitycycles.org/donate/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 jim@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 _______________________________________________ TheThinkTank mailing list -- thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe send an email to thethinktank-leave@lists.bikecollectives.org To view this discussion on the web visit https://lists.bikecollectives.org/hyperkitty/list/thethinktank@lists.bikecol...