Around the House

Reducing the amount of the products we use and using environmentally responsible products can reduce the amount and impact of pollutants entering the watershed.

• Look for the EcoLogo symbol on cleaning and other chemical products, which indicates that a product is environmentally friendly.
• Properly dispose of hazardous household materials by taking them to designated drop-offs such as the Fire Hall. Contact your municipality to find out the nearest hazardous roundup location.
• Use water-based paints whenever possible.
• Use leftover paint as a primer or share leftover paint with others.
• Deliver batteries to a service station or scrap dealer for recycling.
• Find a local service station that will accept used motor oil.
• Store contaminated kerosene and other solvents in closed jars until particles settle out, then strain and reuse.
• Use rechargeable batteries for items like toys, radios and tape recorders whenever possible. Contact your local municipality to see where to recycle old electronics (these often contain heavy metals that can leach into the water table).

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In the Garden and Yard

Try these simple alternatives to synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides:

• Compost, manure and fish meal are excellent natural fertilizers!
• Start a compost pile where kitchen scraps, lawn clippings and other organic materials can be recycled and used as a fertilizer or mulch.
• Leave grass clippings on the lawn, which will protect the roots of the grass.
• Pull weeds instead of using chemicals.
• Cover open dirt spaces with mulch, to discourage weed germination and help prevent the area from drying out.
• Cover the garden in the fall with plastic, to discourage weed germination.
• If you need to use synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides, use sparingly and according to the instructions.
• Use can also use a rain barrel to water your lawn and garden. This will help ease the strain on the storm drain and water treatment plant.

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On Driveways, Sidewalks and Roads

• Use bikes, walk, or use public transportation and car-pooling as much as possible.
• Instead of washing your car in the driveway, take it to your local carwash. The water used there goes into the sewage treatment system, rather than the storm drain system.
• Ensure that only clean rainwater makes it to the storm drain near your house.
• It only takes 1 drop of oil to contaminate 25 litres of drinking water! Ensure leaky engines are fixed.
• Use salt and sand sparingly in the winter. Spreading salt on walkways before a snowfall is more effective than on putting it on top of snow and ice. Use sand for traction on top of snow and ice. Salt can damage vegetation, soil, water quality, vehicles and infrastructure. Sand can clog storm drains and increase turbidity (cloudiness) in the local waterbody.
• Organize or take part in a Yellow Fish Road painting day

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Other Things That You Can Do

• Teach your friends and family what you learn here today!
• Properly dispose of hazardous household materials by taking them to designated drop offs such as the Fire Hall. Start a composting or recycling program.
• Participate in the Down the Drain program. This program is run by the Center for Innovation in Engineering & Science Education (CIESE) and allows students to collect data on the amount of water they use and compare it to the amount of water used by people in different parts of the world. http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/drainproj/

Take your group on a field trip:

• Tour a water purification facility or a wastewater treatment facility to learn how we clean our drinking water (either before or after use)
• Visit a hazardous waste depot to learn how these types of wastes are disposed of, the importance of reducing our waste, and properly disposing of hazardous wastes.
• Visit your local waterbody to see what lives there. Try to find the outfalls that lead to it.

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