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Sacramento Laundry says it recycles 70% of water, urges monitoring of industrial discharges
Summary
Keith Pooler, founder of Sacramento Laundry, described the company’s growth and water- and energy-saving investments, said the plant recycles about 70% of its water and processes 100,000–125,000 pounds daily, and urged better monitoring of wastewater discharges to identify energy-recapture opportunities.
Keith Pooler, founder and operator of Sacramento Laundry, told Sacramento County program staff that his company recycles about 70% of its water and uses roughly 70% less water than the average commercial laundry while processing about 100,000 to 125,000 pounds of laundry a day.
Pooler, who said he and his wife started Sacramento Laundry in February 2009 after entering the coin-laundry business in 1999, described how the company expanded with help from the Small Business Administration 504 loan program. “We were fortunate enough to be able to capitalize on the SBA 504 program, which allowed us to buy this building and then to build it out,” Pooler said.
Why it matters: Industrial laundries can place large demands on municipal wastewater systems. Pooler argued that increased measurement of what businesses discharge to sewer systems can reveal both waste streams and opportunities to reduce chemical use, improve upstream processes and capture energy that is currently lost. “The more you know about what's being discharged in your sewage, you can then understand better about the process and the ways that are being generated,” he said. He added that identifying those byproducts can help businesses “maximize efficiency or reduce usage of chemicals.”
Pooler described investments in automation and water-efficient machines intended to shrink resource use and the operation’s environmental footprint. “We invest heavily in infrastructure and into automation, trying to make this as efficient as possible,” he said. He said those investments helped Sacramento Laundry become “the most automated, most integrated, and the most efficient laundry in Northern California.”
On the potential to recover lost energy from wastewater, Pooler said identifying contaminants and waste streams could allow the company to “recapture energy that currently right now we're we're sending down the drain.” He framed that work as part of ongoing sustainability goals and thanked county staff: “Sacramento County's sustainable business program, we're grateful for you guys recognizing that as a leader in sustainability. We'll continue to invest in renewable energy and sustainable business practices.”
Pooler also summarized the company’s scale and timeline: he said the business evolved from coin laundries started in 1999 to a dedicated commercial facility in Feb. 2009 and further expansion in Feb. 2011 to meet growing demand. He said the facility processes about 100,000 to 125,000 pounds of laundry per day and that the operation recycles roughly 70% of its water, resulting in about 70% lower water use compared with an average commercial laundry.
No formal actions or county policy changes were recorded in the remarks. Pooler’s comments were presented as information about his company’s practices and as a recommendation that more detailed measurement of industrial sewage discharges could identify opportunities to reduce waste and capture energy.
