Reduce Pollution from your Home

Vehicle & Garage

• Prevent vehicle fluids such as oil and antifreeze from entering a storm drain by disposing of them properly.
• Contain spilled fluids immediately with rags or kitty litter. Clean up the spill and dispose of the waste at a hazardous waste collection site.
• Check your car for leaks and have your car repaired if you find them. Keep your car tuned up.
• Store hazardous materials properly in the original closed container.
• Dispose of unwanted chemicals at a household hazardous waste collection center in your area. Never pour hazardous materials into the street, sewer or the storm drain!

Lawn & Garden

• Conserve water. Don't over water your lawn. Adjust sprinklers if water runs into the gutter. Water during cooler times of the day.
• Keep your gutters swept clear of leaves and grass cuttings.
• Identify the pests before spraying pesticides. Ask a specialist at your garden center for advice on how to treat for that specific pest.
• Only buy pesticides you need in amounts you will use.
• Use pesticides and fertilizers sparingly and never apply to your lawn or garden if the weather calls for rain.
• Check at your local garden center for integrated pest management (IPM) methods to minimize chemical use in your garden. Many IPM methods do not even require use of chemical pesticides!
• Create healthy soil by adding compost that contains organic matter and nutrients.
• Use drought resistant native plants that conserve water, which reduces runoff. Use mulch instead of herbicides to prevent weeds from growing and to help absorb water.
• Pick up trash and litter around your yard.

In The Home

• Shop for non-hazardous household cleaning products.
• If you use water based paints, rinse paint brushes in the sink. For oil based paints, filter and reuse paint thinner. Dispose of thinner through a household hazardous waste program in your area.
• Keep trash cans closed to prevent animals from scattering trash.
• Use paints, solvents and cleaners sparingly, according to the directions. Store properly to avoid spilling.
• Dispose of drywall, concrete and mortar in the trash. Don't rinse concrete or mortar into the street.

Sidewalk & Driveway

• Sweep up dirt and debris. Hosing off pavement washes pollutants into storm drains, which lead directly to local creeks, bays and the ocean.
• If you wash your own car, use a shutoff nozzle on your hose to reduce runoff. Consider pulling your car up onto the lawn to avoid runoff to the storm drain OR take your car to a car wash.
• If you have a dirt stockpile in your driveway make sure to cover it or move it to the non paved areas for use, if it looks like rain.

Pets

• Pick up after your pet. Dispose of pet waste into the trash.
• Carry a plastic bag when you walk your pet. Nuisance laws prohibit you from allowing your pet's waste to remain.
• When treating your pet and yard for fleas or ticks, check with your veterinarian for safe substitutes that will minimize impact to the storm drains and your family. Never dispose of flea dip liquid to the ground or storm drain. It should be disposed as a household hazardous waste.