Ron is right This country needs solid, well trained pressure washing contractors. I can give multiple reasons why:
It reduces pollution, by washing potential pollution away. It is faster, and more enivronmentally efficient to use a pressure washer to clean an oil spot with 5 gallons of water, rather then the thousands of gallons of rain water that would be polluted when trying to wash the same oil spot away.
It reduces pollution by dispersing and allowing the potential pollutants to be dispersed on site, instead of being washed into storm drains at an uncontrolled pace.
It removes potential disease producing contaminants, such as vomit, urine, feces, or restaurant grease. Let alone all the food stuffs that could build up, and decompose on the back dock of a restaurant. As contractors, we have all seen the potential hazards, and the vermin, and insects that accumulate where these same substances are. Rats, Mice, Roaches, and other pests spread more disease, and cause more harm than the amount of potential pollution we could do, and quite honestly, when we are washing, even if the waste water is allowed to stay on site, it reduces, and dilutes potential pollutants so much that potential disease carriers, are not able to continue to maintain life. I.E. They die.
Hot water washing also sanitizes an area as it is being washed, if done properly. 180 d. water, or higher is hot enough to kill bacteria, even without soap. If a quanternary solution is used after the wash, it extends the bacteria killing potential of the wash job.
There are more reasons, but these are the ones that I have come up with. Am I against having recovery equipment? No, I am not. I have had environmental recovery equipment, in one form or another since 1995, or the last 16 years. I obviously believe in recovery, but as in all things, an absolute is not even reasonable. There are times recover, and times to not recover. It takes an experienced contractor to know the difference, and be able to prescribe the proper method of washing for a particular cleaning project.
Just my opinions.