2019 Green Business of the Year Award Goes to The Car Wash on Rt 6

SEEDS and The Chamber of the Northern Poconos share a goal to increase the region’s green business practices and thereby work together to honor a member business for its sustainable initiatives that make our region a better place to live and work.

This year, the Green Business of the Year Award recognized the outstanding efforts of a business that serves a broad range of community members and helps to preserve the excellent water quality that sustains everyone here. While many strong contenders were nominated, The CAR WASH on Rt 6 (CWRT6) in Hawley, PA was chosen.

Managing partners, Dave Edwards and Barbara Winsko, who are also married for 21 years, purchased their first car wash in Hamlin, PA in 2015. After revitalizing that facility from its state of “rust and ruins,” and transforming it into a popular community resource, the couple didn’t hesitate when the former Lakeside Car Wash in Hawley went on the market.

The renovation of that facility included all new car washing equipment, new energy efficient lighting to provide consumers a better experience in a well-lit facility, a very complex water recycling system and more.

Dave drills into the details:

The CWRT6 recycles 80% of the water delivered onto vehicles, which makes it into the drains and the retainage tank system. Our reliance on public utility-supplied water is less than 20% per vehicle. In our touch-free automatic car wash, nearly 72 gallons of water is utilized to wash a vehicle. 60+ gallons of this is recycled from within to provide the undercarriage rinse, and the two High Pressure Rinse Cycles.

While the water recycle system is not supplying water during a car wash, it is recirculating water constantly through filters and systems that remove particles, bacteria and soap dyes to provide a water quality of 90% to that which comes out of a normal city or well supplied water faucet.

As a point of reference–if someone is washing their vehicle at home in the driveway, the average water delivery through a garden hose is 16 gallons per minute (GPM). Depending on the way in which this person washes, at 15 minutes, 240 gallons has gone down the driveway into the street, or straight into the ground.

All of the car wash equipment pumps and delivery equipment operates on either 220v power, or 208v 3phase power. The consumption of electricity on 220 volts is half-of-that of 110/120volts. And 208/3phase is 2/3rd that of 110/120 volt.

We also installed LED Lighting. In total there are 18 new LED lighting fixture at this site, which were previously Metal Halide. LED lighting consumes 78% less electricity than average lighting lamps, such as incandescent, fluorescent, and especially metal halide.  Additionally, LED lighting is much brighter and clearer, providing our consumers a well lit business day or night, and safety during the overnight hours.

All of our soaps, waxes and sealers delivered and applied to vehicles are 100% environmentally friendly, meaning that each will break down and dissipate once outside of liquid form or in a treating situation.

We have over 15,000 gallons of water storage beneath the ground to handle the excess 20% of water. Once a month, Koberlien Environmental Services removes 3 to 6 thousand gallons. This water is approximately 70 to 80% free of contaminates, and is trucked to a PA DEP-approved farm field where it is sprayed across the fields and any contaminates remaining are baked away by the heat of the sun.

The benefits of using a car wash outweigh doing it at home. And with the recycle system here along with our energy savings features, it’s even better for the environment. In addition, all previous car wash equipment was salvaged for refurbishment by a specialty company where it was then re-erected at a military base.

Customers also notice the advertising graphics applied to the interior glass partitions of the building. This idea came out of necessity, as the glass is foggy due to the years in a moist and soapy environment. Instead of replacing all of the glass, we chose to utilize the existing glazing as a solid surface for applied graphics, which now provides interest to the consumer. As a result, we spared many cubic yards of what would have been renovation construction debris from entering a landfill.

“We are pleased to be an environmentally friendly business without compromising the quality standards to deliver a great wash,” concludes Dave. During the Awards Banquet at the Inn at Woodloch, Dave and Barbara encouraged other businesses to look into the benefits of going green. “The truth is, it’s also good for the bottom line.”

Keep tabs on the Green Business Award winner at https://www.facebook.com/carwashrt6/ .