In July, the States of Oregon and Washington adopted a new “green” janitorial supplies contract, taking a major step to reduce toxic chemicals in government agencies and schools. Common cleaners such as disinfectants, floor and countertop cleaners, and bathroom soaps contain toxic chemicals that do everything from irritating skin to disrupting hormonal balance in fish. These cleaners are linked to asthma, cancer, reproductive disorders, hormone disruption and neurotoxicity.
The new “green” janitorial supplies contract will reduce exposure to toxic contaminants in public buildings and ultimately reduce toxics flowing into our rivers and streams.
“They are products that residents and businesses use, wash down the drain, pass through our wastewater treatment plants that aren’t designed to remove them, and into our rivers and streams. With this new contract we hope to see a decline in chemicals that have a negative effect on human health,” said Kevin Masterson, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
Adopting the new “green” janitorial supplies contract can reshape how products and services are delivered not only to government agencies but ultimately to the public. Together, the states of Oregon and Washington indicated they spend more than $20 million annually on janitorial supplies. Even more good news is that local and tribal governments, public schools, and other qualified partners in both states can also access the contract and receive the same pricing negotiated with the states. Leveraging this buying power can shape the supply and demand of less toxic cleaning supplies. With this kind of purchasing power, the states are creating a huge market for “green” products and making it easier for others to follow.
Across the nation, more and more states are opting to choose safe products for janitorial supplies. In fact, Masterson noted that Proctor and Gamble, and retailers Walmart and Staples announced they are looking at phasing out products that include some of the priority toxic chemicals.
The momentum is building. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing guidelines to help the federal government buy greener and safer products. This could have a huge impact on markets and the reduction of toxic chemicals if adopted; the federal government is the largest purchaser in the world.
A 2012 USGS reconnaissance study of the Columbia River detected hundreds of contaminants in water samples. Personal care products, plasticizers, industry related compounds, PCBs, PBDEs are contaminants now found in water, fish tissue and sediment. These toxic contaminants persist in the river and degrade habitat, limit the survival of fish and wildlife and impact people’s health.
“Greening” the state’s janitorial supplies is a huge step. The states now are expanding their green purchasing guidelines to reduce toxics in furniture, electronics and building supplies.
Learn what you can do to reduce the use of toxic chemicals:
- Oregon Department of Environmental Quality: www.deq.state.or.us/toxics/whatcanido.htm
- Washington Department of Ecology: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/nav/reduce.html
- Metro: www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=1400