P2: Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning facilities offer a variety of valuable customer services but traditional dry cleaning processes using perchloroethylene ("perc") and other solvents can pose serious health threats to employees and the surrounding community. New federal requirements for perc dry cleaning facilities were finalized by the EPA in 2006 and require facilities to be incompliance by 2008. The new rule prohibits the use of all existing perc transfer machines, effective July 28, 2008. Only perc dry-to-dry machines are allowed. Several rule changes impact dry cleaners located in residential buildings. Any dry cleaner system installed (or relocated) in a residential building after December 21, 2005 cannot use perc at all. Existing drycleaners in residential buildings will need to be removed (or changed to a different process) by December 22, 2020. Any dry cleaner located in a residential building (even if it is vacant) must list this on the notification of compliance report.

Normally perc dry clean businesses in Missouri, including coin-operated cleaners, must pay into the Dry cleaning Environmental Response Trust fund. The annual registration surcharge is based on the gallons of chlorinated solvents used during the year. Dry cleaning facilities at prisons, governmental entities, hotels, motels, industrial laundries, or facilities that use non-chlorinated solvents are exempt from paying the dry cleaner surcharge.

Pollution prevention can reduce cost of operations by reducing the amount of solvent used each year – or eliminating the use of solvent altogether. The P2 Regional Information Center's Regulatory Review compares the regulations for each common type of dry cleaning process.

A detailed list of strategies and benefits to implementing a P2 plan for Dry Cleaning facilities is listed below.

Be sure to review the general information in P2 Business Basics.

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