First Car Rental’s Cape Town depot has reduced municipal water usage by nearly 80% since installing the eWasha Washbay Water Recycling Plant.

EWasha is a revolutionary car wash system that recycles used carwash water through a chemical-free, biological treatment process and then pumps it back into the carwash system.

A rainwater storage system is installed in conjunction to this, further reducing the need for municipal water. The eWasha system has also recently been commissioned at First Car Rental’s Pomona and King Shaka Airport branch depots, with plans underway to use the recycled water in the toilet systems as well.

Says Melissa Storey, Executive Head of Marketing and Strategy for First Car Rental, “Water is precious and we all have to do our bit to conserve South Africa’s precious resources. The eWasha Washbay System will have a profound impact on water conservation and is certainly the way forward.”

First Car Rental is committed to inspiring green processes in the car rental industry. In 2010 First Car Rental launched the world’s first Green Mobile Checkout facility – Show & Go Mobile Checkout – that allows corporate clients to bypass the branch avoiding queues and paperwork.  The ‘green technology’ ensures the entire transaction from the online booking to closing off the contract after the rental period has ended, is paperless.