Automotive

Driving
Cars, trucks and gasoline-powered equipment cause air and water pollution in many different ways. At the gas station, gasoline is allowed to drip from pump nozzles by countless customers day after day. Roadways and parking lots are covered in the antifreeze, gasoline, oil, transmission fluid and other chemicals from leaking vehicles. Automobiles pump exhaust fumes, brake pad particles, tire particles, evaporating gasoline and other pollutants into the air. And, as soon as it rains, all that air pollution becomes water pollution. Do your best not to contribute to this growing problem. Reduce your driving where you can. Purchase fuel efficient vehicles and equipment. Don’t leaving your car idling; just turn off the engine while waiting. Check for leaks and get them fixed. Dispose of oil and other fluids properly, by recycling it or taking it to a household hazardous waste collection. Don’t top off your tank; the extra gas at the top will probably only evaporate anyway. Remember that these suggestions apply to lawn mowers and other equipment too.

Cleaner Car Washing
When cars are washed on streets and driveways, the dirty water eventually winds up in rivers, streams, creeks, and lakes. Washing one car may not seem to be a problem, but collectively car washing activity adds up to big problems for our local lakes, creeks and streams. Water that runs off a car when it is washed in a driveway, street, or parking lot can contain substances that pollute the environment. Dirty water containing soap, detergents, residue from exhaust fumes, gasoline, heavy metals from rust, and motor oils can wash off cars and flow directly to storm drains and into the nearest creek or stream where it can harm water quality and wildlife.

Washing your car is only a problem if you don’t know where or how to do it correctly. The average homeowner uses 116 gallons of water to wash a car! Most commercial car washes use 60 percent less water for the entire process than a homeowner uses just to rinse the car. Car wash fundraisers can be a significant source of this kind of pollution. These events are usually held in heavily paved areas where there is little runoff control or grass to filter out harmful substances before they reach our waterways. The best way to minimize the effect washing your car has on the environment is to use a commercial car wash. Most locations reuse wash water several times before sending it to a treatment plant.

However, if you choose to wash your car at home or on the street, these are some things that you can do to minimize the water quality impact:

• Use biodegradable, phosphate-free, water-based cleaners only.
• Minimize water usage. Use a spray gun with flow restriction to minimize water volume and runoff.
• Wash on an area that absorbs water, such as gravel, or grass. This can filter water before it enters groundwater, storm drains, or creeks. Avoid washing cars on concrete or asphalt pavement unless it drains into a vegetated area.
• Only let wash water soak into the ground as long as you are using biodegradable, phosphate-free cleaners.
• When planning a car wash fundraiser, try developing a partnership with a commercial car wash facility, or use a safe location.
• Always empty wash buckets into sinks or toilets.
• Wash Your Car the Right Way

Oil
Used motor oil never wears out — it just gets dirty and can be recycled, cleaned and used again. Motor oil poured onto the ground or into storm drains, or tossed into trash cans (even in sealed containers) can contaminate and pollute the soil, groundwater, streams, and rivers. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that over 200 million gallons of do-it-yourself used oil ends up in the trash, in water and poured on the ground each year. Recycling used motor oil reduces this pollution threat. When you recycle used oil, you are protecting the environment and conserving a valuable resource. Recycling used oil helps protect ground and surface waters, fish and wildlife and conserves energy. If recycled, the oil could save about a half million barrels of crude oil each year, worth nearly $10 million.

Used oil from ATVs, jet skis, boats, lawn mowers, weed eaters, and other motorized items threatens the environment just as much as oil from automobiles. Used motor oil can contain concentrations of toxic heavy metals such as zinc, lead, and cadmium that affect the environment, including wildlife, vegetation, surface water and drinking water supplies when not disposed of properly. One quart of oil poured down a storm drain can contaminate one million gallons of water. Water that goes down storm drains does not go to treatment plants. One pint of oil can produce a slick of approximately one acre of water. When oil enters a body of water, a film develops on the surface that blocks out sunlight that plants and other organisms need to live.

Other automotive fluids, including antifreeze, solvents and gasoline are also harmful to the environment when not disposed of correctly. When used motor oil is mixed with other automotive fluids, it is considered contaminated and cannot be collected for recycling. All automotive fluids should be taken to a household hazardous waste collection for proper disposal.

There are things that every citizen can do at home and in their community to help prevent illegal dumping and oil pollution to our water: 

• Recycle used motor oil at a local used oil collection center. Find the location nearest you.
• Request re-refined motor oil when you get your oil changed. Re-refined motor oil must meet the same American Petroleum Institute (API) certification standards as virgin motor oil.
• Recycle and re-use oil filters. Recycling one ton of drained oil filters produces 1,700 pounds of steel and recovers about 60 gallons of used oil.
• If you change your own oil, get a reusable used oil container. Drain the oil carefully into the container, avoiding splatter and spills.