This is how a car wash can work on climate targets
The rainwater is collected, there are solar panels on the roof and the chemistry is environmentally friendly. Carwash ‘t Vosje in the Netherlands puts a lot of effort into sustainability. The company was recently awarded a sustainability prize, the Green Plume. CarwashProTV went by to see how this works.Â
Roy Visser is co-owner of ‘t Vosje. This carwash has been running since March last year. Recently, the company won a ‘Green Plume’ for being the most sustainable company of Oosterhout.
Visser explains that when the carwash was built, the municipality instructed that all rainwater should be collected on its own site. So they did, the ground is full of infiltration crates and the rain is collected in a pluvial system. “The advantage is that it doesn’t go into the sewers, but can be used to wash cars.”
Recycling water
In Oosterhout, washing is done using a WashTec tunnel that was delivered in March last year. “It is a Softline with all the specials,” Visser explains. “We recycle 95 percent of the water and can wash 90 to 120 cars per hour. Everything that comes through the pipes and brushes is recycled water. We collect whatever goes in the gutter and so we wash continuously.”
Visser stands on the vacuum square and points to the drain covers. After washing, the water first enters the 20,000-litre pit, a pre-sedimentation pit in which the water comes to rest. Then it flows into a 10,000-litre pit where the rainwater is mixed in. Finally, it flows into another 20,000-litre pit, which contains everything the electoral filter needs to recycle the water.
470 solar panels on the roof
There are 470 solar panels on the roof, enabling ‘t Vosje to wash cars in an almost energy-neutral way. There are also filters for exhaust gases on the roof, so that vacuum cleaning can be done without the smell of exhaust gases and petrol. Also on the roof: the heating system. The carwash does not use gas, the space is fully heated by electricity.
In the pre-wash, ‘t Vosje uses AUWA chemistry, after which U-N-P is used. According to Visser, this gives a deep shine to the vehicles. Afterwards, the vehicles are dried with Riwax. “We are still testing this. The nice thing about them is that they come and collect the cans and recycle them.”
Awareness
At ‘t Vosje, they are very conscious of the environment. Visser: “This is also reflected in our logo, a butterfly. It only appears in environmentally friendly places. When we applied for the award, we knew we had a good chance. Everything we can do as a carwash in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, we do.”
The key question: will winning the award bring in extra customers? Visser believes that it undoubtedly does. “People who read it in the newspaper and know what the award entails. We especially hope to make consumers aware of the environmental benefits of washing their cars in the car wash or the car wash box.”
Check out the video below (in Dutch).