Editor's note: Amy Stodghill is Green Options' newest addition to the blogging team. A NYC-based filmmaker, Amy is also the writer/publisher of the blog It's the Environment, Stupid! We're happy that she's joined us!

California will ban perchloroethylene - or perc, the toxic solvent used in dry cleaning - by 2023.

The California Air Resources Board has already begun phasing out the widely used chemical by prohibiting the sale of new machines that use perc.

As with any new regulation there is some resistance from the dry cleaning industry. They say smaller operations could be forced out of business, and many will have to pass along the costs to consumers.

However, there are non-toxic alternatives already in use at green dry cleaners across the country. The most wide-spread alternative is a process called "wet cleaning." This method uses less energy, and new machines cost less than traditional perc machines.

According to an article in the LA Weekly:

"There are four perc alternatives being used in Southern California: hydrocarbon, GreenEarth solvent, CO2 and professional wet cleaning. Hydrocarbon cleaning uses synthetic hydrocarbon solvents in a machine similar to that used in traditional dry cleaning. It’s nontoxic, but the AQMD says it contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that release into the air and mix with other pollutants to form ozone smog. Which means it’s a lot better than perc, but still does damage to the environment."

"The most widespread method seems to be professional wet cleaning, a German process developed in 1991, which uses nontoxic biodegradable soap and water and is said to get clothes cleaner than perc cleaning because it attacks water-based spots and smells (i.e., the majority of the stains that need cleaning). Even better for business owners, computerized wet-cleaning machines cost $3,000 less than traditional perc machines and users have reported saving up to 45 percent on their electricity bills. Plus, they don’t have to pay for toxic-waste removal, so there are more savings to be had."

Via Associated Press.

Additional reading:

LA Times

Grist

Plenty Magazine

LA Weekly