Water Board Gets Dirty On Carpet Cleaner Waste
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday January 11, 1990
When the Water Board began checking the hundreds of sightings of illegal waste dumping reported to its public hotline, it found that as many as 25 per cent turned out to be carpet cleaners.
However, the waste was far from innocuous suds. Analysis revealed heavy metals such as copper, lead and zinc, and pesticides, including dieldrin, an organochlorine compound.
According to the board's trade waste disposal unit manager, Mr Neal Martyn, the illegal dumping caused blocked drains, and let effluent reach waterways.
Rather than spend all its resources trying to catch the dumpers, the board began looking for a solution. It now claims to have one, although some carpet cleaning contractors are sceptical.
The board unveiled its carpet cleaning filtration system this week - and has given cleaners until March to start using it or risk fines of up to$10,000 for individuals and $20,000 for companies.
Mr Martyn said that cleaners often illegally dumped their waste - by letting it run down driveways into stormwater drains, or by dropping it into gully traps - because they really had nowhere to dump.
But now, he said, they "will have no excuse not to do the right thing".
"By filtering carpet cleaning waste, the toxic materials found in it will be reduced to a level acceptable to the State Water Board," Mr Martyn said.
The new system consists of a pump and three filters that the board claims will greatly reduce fibrous and toxic material. The waste will then be able to be pumped legally into domestic sewerage.
Mr Martyn said the system would cost about $500 per vehicle to supply and fit the pump and filters. Owners also would have to pay a $100 application fee, a $100 three-yearly agreement fee, and an annual $25 inspection fee.
Mr Gary Antognelli, a director of Harvey Norman Carpet Cleaning Service, said the filtration system was a "very good idea and it's about time someone got onto it".
But, he said, it would result in higher costs for customers.
The board claims its activated carbon filter will need changing every few weeks.
Mr Antognelli said it may have to be replaced daily.
He said he did not think the board had tested the filter sufficiently.
According to Mr Martyn, the board realised what a problem the carpet cleaning industry posed after it set up its Dob-in-a-dumper hotline in February last year, and found that about one quarter of complaints related to carpet cleaners.
The board analysed waste from about 40 vehicles, in various suburbs, doing domestic and industrial carpet cleaning.
After analysing the waste being dumped, it began developing its filter system in August.
© 1990 Sydney Morning Herald
