When we think about things posing a threat to our environment, we rarely think about mop water.
After all, there are enormous manufacturing units and industrial plants that are producing thousands of kilograms of air and water pollutants every day, how can one focus on mop water?
However, what most of us don’t realize is that mop water doesn’t just come from our homes.
The enormous industrial plants and manufacturing units need regular upkeep and keeping the floor clean is a big part of that.
In fact, having a clean floor is a compliance requirement in many manufacturing industries.
Industrial mop water isn’t just more (in volume) than domestic mop water, it is also more harmful.
Industrial mop water doesn’t just contain the regular contaminants like rodents, rodent feces, dust particles, cigarette ash, and the associated by-products, it also contains other chemicals that have enormous potential to severely pollute nearby water bodies and disrupt the efficiency of your local wastewater system.
Thankfully, cleaning and filtering mop water and making it fit for reuse is easy and pocket friendly, with a filtration fabric wipe.
Such a wipe removes fats from water and some options can be reused indefinitely.
With that said, the availability of accessible filtration technology isn’t the only reason you should be thinking about cleaning up your industrial mop water.
Here are a few others:
Effects On The Water
When harmful chemicals from manufacturing plants are released into the water, it can have many adverse effects.
For starters, the chemicals contained in industrial mop water have the potential to change the pH balance of the water.
As a result of which, the water can become more corrosive and can start damaging the surrounding soil.
Similarly, if your manufacturing plant releases wastewater into your local municipal wastewater management system, water with a high pH value has the potential to damage the involved machinery and make the process less efficient.
Over time, an inefficient wastewater system can cause other problems like a shortage of clean drinking water.
Water pollution in natural water bodies can disrupt the balance of the natural ecosystem that survives in said water bodies.
From blocking the blowholes of marine animals like dolphins to making the fur of mammals ineffective against cold weather, oil in water can make the life of animals very difficult.
Effects On The Ground
If the industrial mop water is released into the nearby ground, it can wreak havoc on the entire ecosystem in that area.
From changing the pH composition of the soil to causing erosion to make the soil unfit for any kind of vegetation, harmful chemicals can cause severe damage to soil, even in small amounts.
With such harmful consequences, it is not difficult to imagine how the wildlife in the nearby areas will be affected.
Even if there is no wildlife in the nearby area, such pollution can affect the natural cycles like the migration cycles and reproduction cycles of birds.
Effects On Society
Just like wild animals, human society is also heavily dependent on surrounding water bodies and of course, the land we live on.
That’s why the impact of polluting our environment on our society is not difficult to imagine.
From affecting the supply of drinking water to diminishing the availability of fertile soil, such pollutants don’t simply affect livelihoods, they directly affect our health and our daily lives.
Conclusion
Nature, as robust as it may seem, has not become very delicate, thanks to the rampant polluting activities by human beings.
However, by taking small steps, businesses and individuals can make small differences and inspire others to take similar steps.
By simply paying attention to cleaning and recycling of mop water, businesses can not just fulfill their environmental responsibility but can also make their operations more cost-efficient by reusing the water.