Pollution Diet Tips by Topic

Going on a "pollution diet"? Good for you! Luckily, this kind of diet is much easier to follow - and it benefits everyone! Here are some quick pollution solutions categorized by topic: Animals, Automobiles, Household and Yards. We've also listed solutions by the season.

Animals

• Scoop the poop! When your pet poops, it's very important to pick up the waste and either flush it or put it in the garbage. Animal waste releases fecal bacteria that get washed away with stormwater runoff. Always be prepared when you're with your pet by carrying extra bags for waste. It might be unpleasant in the moment, but it is much more unpleasant to swim, boat or fish in waters polluted by pet waste.
• Avoid flushing kitty litter or washing it down the drain. It can clog drains and septic tanks, causing additional issues with your water system.
• Don't feed the geese! By feeding them, you're encouraging them to stick around instead of migrating to find food for themselves. Their waste is extremely detrimental to our waterways. It's also healthier for the geese to feed themselves, without handouts from humans.

Automobiles

• Check your car regularly to prevent leaks and drips.
• Clean up any spills with kitty litter or sawdust and then sweep up and throw away—never use a hose to wash away car leaks. Remember—not only will auto fluids pollute stormwater but they can also collect in puddles on the street that neighborhood pets might use as drinking water.
• Before washing wheels or doing break work, wipe break dust off of tires and dispose of in the garbage.
• To wash your car, use non-toxic/phosphate free or biodegradable soap. Wash your car over a porous surface (like your lawn) where the water will not run into the streets and become runoff.
• If washing the car at a car wash, be sure the business uses recycled water or sends it to the sanitary sewer.
• Dispose of all auto fluids (oil, antifreeze, radiator fluid, etc.) properly by bringing them to the SPSA Household Waste Facility at 901 Hollowell Lane in Chesapeake from 9 a.m. to noon on the third Saturday and first Wednesday of each month. Call 420-4700 for details.

Household

• Never flush medicines. Sewage treatment plants cannot remove medicine from the water. Once the water is contaminated, it causes serious negative impacts on aquatic life. Ask your local pharmacy about a take back program or be on the lookout for community collection events.
• Keep FOG out of the drain! FOG stands for Fats, Oils and Grease. FOGs in the drain will solidify and cause sewer overflows which can actually leak sewage into our waterways. Instead, pour the liquid FOG into a container, freeze it and throw it in the garbage on trash day.
• Similarly, avoid using your garbage disposal. The sewer system is designed to take on waste water, not food scraps which can clog pipes and cause overflows, just like FOG. Put food scraps into the garbage - or better yet, create a compost pile!

Yards

• "It's okay - Let it Lay!" Forget bagging your grass clippings. Remove the clipping collector from your lawnmower and let the grass clippings lay on your lawn. They will naturally fertilize your lawn!
• If you choose not to "let it lay," be sure to bag your clippings and place them by the roadside on your regular trash pick-up day. Clippings that become part of the stormwater flow (if they're blown into the street or left on driveways and sidewalks) will release bacteria, oxygen-consuming materials, phosphorus and nitrogen - all of which are pollutants - into waterways.
• Same thing goes for leaves. It's best to mulch them by going over them with your lawn mower a few times. Leaves that are broken down become natural fertilizers. If you're not going to mulch them, bag them in clear bags and leave for trash pick-up day. (There is a limit of 30 (35 gallon) bags each week, going up to 50 bags in November and December.) If you rake piles into your street, not only will you be polluting the stormwater but you could also clog nearby drains and ditches and cause flooding.
• Use native plants that have evolved for our area's natural soils and climate so that you can reduce the amount of fertilizer and extra watering needed.
• Create a rain garden to make the best use of free water—precipitation! The Virginia Cooperative Extension has a great guide on creating rain gardens and the Chesapeake Ecology Center's Rainscaping.org page is another great resource with information on rain gardens and more.
• To get even more use out of precipitation, build a rain barrel - you can attend a class right here in Chesapeake to learn how!
• Only fertilize in the fall and test your soil to find out exactly what it needs. You can get a soil test kit by contacting the Virginia Cooperative Extension at 382-6348.
• If you must use fertilizer, use the least toxic choice with low phosphorous and never put down fertilizer before a rainfall - it will wash away with the stormwater.
• Aerate your lawn in order to get water to the roots of your grass instead flowing into the streets.
• Keep cool-season grasses like bluegrass, fescue and ryegrass to about 3 inches tall and keep warm-season grasses like bermuda and zoysia around 1-2 inches tall. This will help the grass grow a strong root system. Healthy grass acts as a filter for stormwater runoff.
• Regularly inspect irrigation systems, sprinklers and hoses to look for leaks.