Classy Chassis was pleased to be a Nominee for the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber’s 2019 Tahoma Business Environmental Award!
Classy Chassis Environmental Message
We here at Classy Chassis are doing our part to be environmentally responsible by explaining the benefits of bringing your car to a professional car wash where we filter, recycle, and treat the water instead of running off to the Puget Sound. We recycle over 75% of our water to clean your car by collecting it and storing it in large tanks to be filtered and used again. We use low flow nozzles and tips to conserve water on all washing, also collecting and re-use of reject water through our water softening system. We also use environmentally friendly products to clean your vehicle. To conserve electricity we use variable speed drives on our large vacuum system to run slow when used by one employee and faster when used by more.
Our Xpress Lube shop also does some unique recycling, where the used oil from your car is burned in a special boiler that heats water for use in the car wash and for heating the building in the winter without putting harmful contaminates into the air. Nearly 95% of materials used in Lube are recycled like filters, boxes, fluids, and coolants. Even the water in our parking lot is directed to advanced bio-swells and oil-water separators to filter contaminates from entering the storm drain systems.
Summer is the prime season for car washing, which if done improperly can send thousands of gallons of polluted water in a single day into Commencement Bay, the Puyallup River and other South Sound bodies of water. We recycle, filter, and properly dispose of the waste-water to be further treated. The following links are articles about new rules pertaining to home car washing and what you can do to keep water going into the street clean:
piercecountywa.org/carwash • piercecountywa.org/DocumentCenter/View/3421 • pscarwash.org/environmental
A commercial car wash typically uses 15 to 60 gallons of water to wash a car versus 16 to 180 gallons of free-running water used at home. Meanwhile, a charity car wash can drink up 3,000 gallons or more, depending on the number of vehicles washed. If you must wash at home, washing cars on lawns or gravel allows the yucky water to soak into the ground for filtration. Remember storm drains DO NOT filter the dirt and chemicals from entering our lakes and streams!
We are a proud founding member of the Puget Sound Car Wash Association, which has a program to allow nonprofit groups to save elbow grease by selling car wash tickets year around. The program sells discounted tickets that the nonprofit groups can resell at a higher price and keep the profit. Ticket holders get their car washed at one of the association car washes like Classy Chassis: http://www.charitycarwash.org/. This program is an environmentally conscious way to raise good money while helping the environment!
Classy Chassis also offers great FUNdraising programs — be sure to check those out, too!