Changing With The Times

In my editorial last month, I commented on Minnesota’s lone state ban on the use of waterless urinals. Since then, however, the Minnesota Senate has voted to overturn the law, now making waterless urinals legal in all 50 states.

Like it or not (and I know a lot of readers don’t), we are living in changing times. Environmental benefits are becoming the priority above all else, including safety and jobs. For example, a bill was recently passed to start phasing out incandescent light bulbs by 2012 and only use compact fluorescent bulbs. This change would save 75 percent more energy as fluorescent bulbs last longer, but they are actually less safe because they contain small amounts of mercury, which can be exposed upon breakage.

With the aforementioned waterless urinals, plumbers unions argued that waterless urinals would cost their members jobs. However, those concerns lost out to facilities potentially saving up to 40,000 gallons of water a year.

No industry will be immune to changing practices to preserve the environment. And whether that means starting to sell green products or switching to hybrid delivery trucks, jan/san distributors, too, will have to adjust.