CMI Environmental Sustainability & Compliance 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does LEED certification measure when evaluating a building's cleaning program contribution?
- The number of cleaning staff certified through ISSA programs
- Indoor environmental quality, sustainable purchasing, and green cleaning policies (Correct answer)
- Total square footage cleaned per labor hour
- Annual contract value of the outsourced cleaning service
Correct answer: Indoor environmental quality, sustainable purchasing, and green cleaning policies
LEED's Indoor Environmental Quality category awards points for green cleaning policies, sustainable chemical purchasing, and custodial training programs.
Question 2: Which organization awards the Green Seal GS-37 certification specifically for cleaning products used in commercial and institutional facilities?
- EPA's Safer Choice program
- Green Seal, a nonprofit environmental standards organization (Correct answer)
- ISSA (Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association)
- UL Environment (UL EcoLogo)
Correct answer: Green Seal, a nonprofit environmental standards organization
Green Seal GS-37 is a third-party certification standard for cleaning and degreasing products used in commercial and institutional settings.
Question 3: A custodial manager wants to measure their program's water conservation progress. Which metric is most useful?
- Number of cleaning staff per 10,000 sq ft
- Gallons of water consumed per 1,000 square feet cleaned per month (Correct answer)
- Types of mop heads purchased annually
- Number of restroom fixtures serviced per shift
Correct answer: Gallons of water consumed per 1,000 square feet cleaned per month
Normalizing water consumption by area and time period allows meaningful benchmarking and trend tracking over time.
Question 4: Which of the following cleaning practices best supports indoor air quality (IAQ) compliance in a school?
- Scheduling all floor stripping and refinishing during the school day
- Using fragrance-free, low-VOC certified products and cleaning after hours (Correct answer)
- Applying aerosolized air fresheners in classrooms before students arrive
- Increasing cleaning frequency using conventional chemical products
Correct answer: Using fragrance-free, low-VOC certified products and cleaning after hours
Fragrance-free low-VOC products reduce chemical exposures, and after-hours cleaning allows off-gassing before occupant arrival.
Question 5: What is the correct disposal method for a partially full container of a cleaning chemical listed as a P-listed hazardous waste under RCRA?
- Triple-rinse the container and place in regular recycling
- Dispose of through a licensed hazardous waste disposal contractor (Correct answer)
- Empty into the sanitary sewer and place the container in the trash
- Leave the container in a secure chemical storage room until empty
Correct answer: Dispose of through a licensed hazardous waste disposal contractor
P-listed hazardous wastes and their containers must be disposed of through licensed hazardous waste management facilities per RCRA requirements.
Question 6: What is the key advantage of using microfiber technology over conventional cotton mops from an environmental standpoint?
- Microfiber requires more chemical solution to activate effectively
- Microfiber removes soil more effectively with less water and chemical use (Correct answer)
- Microfiber is biodegradable and breaks down after each use
- Microfiber is less expensive to manufacture than cotton
Correct answer: Microfiber removes soil more effectively with less water and chemical use
Microfiber's electrostatic properties capture soil without chemical assistance, reducing chemical and water consumption per cleaning cycle.
Question 7: Which of the following actions would constitute an environmental compliance violation during restroom cleaning?
- Using color-coded cloths to prevent cross-contamination
- Pouring diluted disinfectant directly into a floor drain that flows to a storm sewer (Correct answer)
- Mixing a quaternary ammonium cleaner at label-specified dilution
- Storing cleaning chemicals in a locked, ventilated cabinet
Correct answer: Pouring diluted disinfectant directly into a floor drain that flows to a storm sewer
Discharging disinfectants to storm sewers that bypass treatment is an illegal discharge under the Clean Water Act.
CMI Environmental Sustainability & Compliance 4
What does LEED certification measure when evaluating a building's cleaning program contribution?