Virginia Association of Municipal Wastewater Agencies, Inc.

 

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Tips for how you can keep our rivers and bays clean:

Statewide efforts to clean our rivers and the Chesapeake Bay are improving, but they are not over yet. To help ensure the long-term health of all our waterways, everyone must work together and do their part to support cleaner waters.

In nature, everything is connected. Consequently, what we drain or flush in our homes and businesses could harm the quality of the waterways we use for recreation, fishing and other activities. A simple way to increase your clean-up efforts at home and work is to carefully dispose of waste products, by following these quick tips:

Never drain or flush unused medications. Today's treatment plants are not designed to remove medications from wastewater. That means any medicine you flush down the toilet or wash down the sink goes directly into your local waters, impacting the health of our waterways. If you need to dispose of unused medications, you can either return them to a take- back program at your participating pharmacy or drugstore, or do the following:

• Crush and dissolve the medications in their original containers.
• Mix dissolved medications with kitty litter, sawdust or another inedible substance.
• Seal the bottle with the lid, place into a non-recyclable container, and throw into the trash for landfill disposal.

Never pour grease down the drain. Leftover fats, oils and grease from cooking can clog up your sewage pipes at home or work, as well as in the streets. When pipes are clogged, sewage backup occurs, which can destroy sewage systems and leak harmful waste into the environment. To wisely discard of grease and oils, pour them into non-recyclable containers and throw into the trashcan for landfill disposal.

Properly dispose of hazardous waste. Hazardous items at home or work have no place in our sewage systems, as they contain toxic chemicals that are dangerous to the environment. To properly discard of hazardous waste, take them to your local collection facility. Hazardous items include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Paint
• Pesticides
• Poisons
• Fuel
• Oil
• Toxic Cleaning Supplies

Every choice you make for wisely discarding waste at home or work helps to create cleaner waterways for the future. Thank you for doing your part!