Good Friday to all!

We’ve been exploring towel laundry service as an alternative to (some of the) paper toweling in our teaching labs. Some teachers are more on board than others, of course, but one really wants to go with this. Many students (and TAs) don’t seem to have the first idea what to do with a clean wet cloth towel. It’s been an adventure.

Some questions for those of you who may have explored this territory already:

-          Are we really saving anything? Service costs vs. towel purchase is straightforward, but other items are not. All paper towels are recycled paper. I don’t have an idea of how to balance hidden costs (disposal vs water/energy use).

-          Have you successfully converted paper towel natives to cloth towels? How long did it take (we only have TAs and students for 10 weeks at a time).

-          Do you hang wet towels on drawer handles to dry? Put up a drying line? A student lab is crowded & there’s always another section waiting at the door.

Many thanks to all for your help over the years!

Sheila

Sheila M. Kennedy, C.H.O.

Safety Coordinator | Teaching Laboratories

Chemistry & Biochemistry |University of California, San Diego

9500 Gilman Dr. | La Jolla, CA  92093-0303

( (858) 534 – 0221 | MC 0303

s1kennedy**At_Symbol_Here**ucsd.edu | Student Lab Safety, CHEM Teaching Labs