Two dry-cleaning businesses have had projects approved under the Department of Environmental Quality’s new Small Business Pollution Prevention Loan Program.

DEQ Director Russell Harding’s approval of the projects clears the way for finalizing the loan requests of $100,000 for Clothing Care Center of Ionia and $83,000 for Midwest Industrial Laundry of St. Joseph. The program provides low-interest loans to small businesses with fewer than 100 employees to encourage the implementation of projects that eliminate or reduce waste through source reduction or recycling.

The loans enable the dry cleaners to upgrade their equipment and significantly reduce the annual amount of perchloroethylene purchased. Perchloroethylene, or "perc," is a solvent that may be harmful to human health and the environment.

Clothing Care Center of Ionia expects to reduce its perc usage by 50 percent by upgrading its dry-cleaning machines. Midwest Industrial of St. Joseph anticipates a reduction of more than 70 percent through its upgrade. Total annual perc usage by both companies will be reduced by nearly 3,000 gallons, resulting in combined savings of about $24,000 a year.

"The dry-cleaning industry is well-represented in this program," Harding said. "These projects make sense environmentally and economically."

Under the program, the DEQ works in partnership with the company and its local bank based on a participation arrangement where the loan is split between the participating lending institution and the DEQ Clean Michigan Initiative fund. In this instance, Shoreline Bank of Benton Harbor, and Ionia County National Bank of Ionia are participating in the loans with the DEQ.

Loans of up to $100,000 are available to all private business sectors including manufacturing, farming, retail and service.

To find out if a business qualifies for the loan program, contact the DEQ at 1-800-662-9278.