ENVIRONMENT: Down the Drain

What You Can Do

By Sharon Wetteland

Laundry Room:

Wash fewer and larger loads of laundry. Use less than the recommended amount of laundry soap. Your clothes will be just as clean and fewer chemicals will be washed down the drain. Experiment by starting a load of wash using no detergent. Check the washer after agitation begins. You will be surprised at the amount of residual soap that is left in your clothing from prior washings.

Kitchen:

Use the dishwasher only when it is full. Change to a phosphate-free dishwasher detergent. Read the label on kitchen cleaners and consider glycerin products for cleaning tough grime. Glycerin is a powerful degreaser. Many restaurants and institutions have found that it saves money as well as allows them to provide non-caustic chemicals for their workers.

Bathroom:

It is estimated that 73 percent of the water used in our homes is either washed down the drain in the shower or flushed down the toilet. Install low-flow showerheads. If you can’t replace your toilet with a low-water version, use a brick to displace water volume in the tank; the unit will flush just as well using less water. Teach kids (and adults) to shut off the water while brushing their teeth.

Buy Recycled Paper:

Recycled paper uses 60 percent less energy to produce than virgin paper. For each ton of recycled paper, this equals seven thousand gallons of water saved and far fewer chemicals flushed into the rivers.

Garden:

Find out what is in the fertilizer going onto your lawn. Nitrogen and phosphorus leach into lakes and quickly increase algae growth. Ditch the chemical “miracles” and learn about composting and natural fertilizers, such as bone meal, peat, and composted manure. Rake up grass, leaves, and other plant matter and add them to the compost pile.

Reconsider Hard Surfaces:

Installing a driveway or sidewalk? Impervious surfaces drain great volumes of water into local storm sewers, while collecting pollutants deposited on these surfaces. Using rock or pervious pavers for walkways allows water (and pollutants) to enter the soil, where they filter through the soil. Wash your car on the grass or in a rock driveway to filter soaps, oil, and road grime through the soil. Redirect gutters and downspouts to grassy or gravel areas—or better yet, collect the water in a rain barrel and use it to water flowers and plants. New higher-tech rain barrels now allow a hose or spigot hook-up to access the water. Rain gardens are another great option.