Environment

ACWA believes strongly in the highest environmental standards for the commercial vehicle cleaning industry. This includes encouraging members to adopt environmentally sustainable practices in running their individual car washes as well as the broader issue of the impact of car washing on a local environment.

The Association encourages its members to adopt sustainable processes and habits that include:

• Sustainable water practices and use of the Water Rating Scheme
• Regulatory compliance with trade waste disposal
• Implementation of energy efficient practices
• Sustainable use and disposal of car wash chemicals

Car washes use very little potable (mains drinking) water by using fine nozzles and high pressure hoses, linked wherever possible to recycling systems which reclaim the water from the automatic wash bays. Health and safety considerations limit the use of recycled water in most self-service bays. A normal car wash will use the same amount of water as one load of clothes washing, 4 minutes of garden watering or a 5 minute shower.

The car wash Water Rating Scheme (WRS) provides a structured self-assessment of water use, verified by an independent audit, to ensure compliance with strict water efficiency requirements. Water Saver Rating 4 and 5 star signage is your guarantee that you are using a water efficient car wash.

The ACWA is currently in the process of broadening the WRS to offer a sustainability rating across all of the 4 processes mentioned above. This will provide a strong statement to the public that WRS rated car washes can be differentiated from those that simply wash cars with no care for the environment. National public relations campaigns will continue to reinforce this message and educate the public about the sustainable practices of WRS rated car washes.

Because car washes normally must meet certain requirements of water use and waste water disposal, using a commercial car wash is a much more environmentally sustainable practice than washing a car at home.

The ACWA has carried out extensive research and determined the following information;

• Between 6.0 and 11.7 Giga liters of contaminated waste water is being directed into our storm water systems across Australia (and therefore into rivers and estuaries) as a result of vehicle washing at home on hard surfaces.
• Included in this contaminated waste water are hydrocarbons, total organic carbon, dissolved copper, lead, zinc, turbidity and suspended solids, all of which exceed generally accepted standards for water which flows to storm water and thereafter into the marine environment.
• Environmental authorities, Water Authorities and Local Councils alike are aware of the negative impact of home car washing. In order to improve this situation authorities need to improve public awareness, enact appropriate laws or regulations and enforce existing laws.

The conclusions of this research show that waste water from residential car washing is a considerable source of stormwater pollution. Generally people believe that a single uncontrolled residential car wash might appear inconsequential; however, when extrapolated over an urban area for a year, the pollutant loading becomes significant. As a result it is the objective of ACWA to work with relevant Local, State and Federal authorities to curtail home car washing and prohibit hard surface vehicle washing to storm water as a fundamental requirement for a sustainable environment.