Two Kinds of Green with Accident Cleanups By John Borowski
G
reen is everywhere. Profit still drives business, but companies in every industry increasingly recognize the benefits of environmental responsibility. Going green can reduce costs and increase profits. Being green can positively change the way consumers perceive a company. Operating green can prevent legal problems. And, perhaps most importantly, being green may help ensure not only a healthy economy for future generations, but a healthy planet as well. The towing industry is no exception. Recognizing the advantages, towing has recently turned its attention to green initiatives. For years as a tower, responding to a motor vehicle accident and finding a big mess was nothing but a headache. The mixture of fluids, glass and debris, spread out over a large area and into a travel lane, would take more time to cleanup than the tow itself. The worst of it was that you couldn’t get any kind of fee for cleanup. Most guys would simply throw some oil absorbents down and then sweep everything off to the gutter or into the storm drain. When I jumped back into the trenches of the industry, it was with a towing company that was preparing to move its base of operations. The move was due to a lack of room coupled with sustained growth. We ran into a hurdle getting a permit to store cars. The town didn’t want any vehicles emitting fluids to be parked on the lot, due to a flood plain at the rear of the property. (After thinking about the town’s position, why would I want any vehicle leaking fluids on the property to begin with?) You can make all the money you want on towing and storage, but is it worth it down the road when you have to be responsible for a contaminated storage lot. We complied with the order to continue doing business and protect one of
12 • April 2011 - TOWMAN.COM
Amber Energy Services specialist spreads absorbent material over roadway spill in Granby, Mass.
the business’ assets (the property) for the future. Any vehicles leaking fluids now are placed in our indoor decontamination booth to have fluids drained, after which they go into the general
storage population. A specially designated booth was prepared to contain any drippings.
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