Top 6 Ways to Reduce Toxics
Reduce Toxic Chemical Use within a Community Setting by:
1. Replacing a toxic or hazardous substance or material with a non-toxic or less toxic substance (chemical substitution), i.e. replacing a traditional solvent degreaser with a water-based degreaser, using baking soda and vinegar in place of more hazardous household cleaners, using a semi-permanent hair color rather than permanent, using low or no formaldehyde pressed-wood products;
2. Process modification (developing and using processes that are cleaner, greener and more efficient) i.e. a drycleaner changing over to wet cleaning thereby eliminating the need for hazardous solvents, using heat to straighten hair rather than a chemical straightener;
3. Product reformulation (changing a product so that it contains fewer toxic chemicals), i.e. generally refers to industrial manufacturing;
4. Production modernization (upgrading production equipment), i.e. an auto body shop modernizing its paint spray operations to use high pressure, low volume paint guns thereby minimizing paint waste;
5. Housekeeping (improving operations and maintenance procedures) i.e. removing food and water sources that attract pests or caulking entry points thereby eliminating the need for pesticides; and
6. In-process Recycling i.e. reusing hazardous materials such as paint thinner.