Residential Pollution Prevention
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What goes down your drain may end up in San Francisco Bay! Wastewater treatment removes many pollutants, but even trace amounts of some substances may be harmful to the Bay. The wisest solution is to prevent pollution from going down the drain in the first place.
Check our residential events & resources for information on where residents may dispose of potential Bay pollutants properly.
Click on the links below for information on how to reduce sources of potential Bay pollutants and on EBMUD's pollution prevention partnerships.
| Antibacterial Products | Medicine | |
| Automobiles | Mercury | |
| Cleaning Products | Nanomaterials | |
| Fats, Oils and Grease | Other Hazardous Household Wastes | |
| Gardening Products | Pollution Prevention Partnerships |
Antibacterial and Antimicrobial Products
Triclosan and
triclocarban are common ingredients in many everyday products such as hand
soaps, dish and laundry soaps, toothpaste, mouthwash, cutting boards and
countertops. These compounds can be washed down the drain, may persist through
wastewater treatment, and have unknown effects on the environment. The American
Medical Association reported
there is "little evidence
to support the use of antimicrobials in consumer products such as topical hand
lotions and soaps." EBMUD has phased out purchases of triclosan and
triclocarban-containing products for its facilities. For more information, see the Watershed
Management Initiative's
white paper on
triclosan.
Automobiles
Washing cars at home can send
soap, oil and other pollutants down storm drains, and on to San Francisco Bay.
Instead, professional and "do it yourself" car wash
facilities pre-treat their dirty water to remove most pollutants and then send
the partially-treated wastewater to a treatment plant, such as EBMUD's
wastewater treatment plant, to remove the remaining contaminants. Many
drive-through commercial car wash facilities also reduce water waste by
recycling rinse water. Remember,
never pour any automotive fluids down any drain.
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Cleaning Products
Some cleaning products contain toxic
compounds that can be harmful to you and San Francisco Bay. For ideas on
less-toxic alternatives,
see our
"Clean It!" guide
(647KB),
which is a PDF file that can be viewed and printed through Adobe's free Acrobat Reader.
Or request a copy of the Clean It! guide by calling 510-287-1651.
Cooking Fats, Oil and Grease
When flushed down the drain, cooking fats, oil and grease, or FOG, can
block sewer lines, causing raw sewage to backups at home, into streets and the
Bay. Keep your
sewer lines FOG-free by scraping cooking fats into the garbage or into your food
scrap recycling bin, where available – not down the drain!
For tips, see our
residential fats, oil and grease brochure
(1.6MB), a PDF
file that can be viewed and printed through Adobe's free Acrobat
Reader.
To request a free FOG pan scraper, email
cleanbay@ebmud.com with your name and
address.
For large quantities of cooking oil or grease, keep it in a sealed
container and pour it out at one of EBMUD's residential cooking oil and grease
drop-off locations or view
disposal options
throughout the Bay Area. You can
also view our FOG frequently asked
questions. For information about your community sewers, contact your
local
sewer system agency.
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Gardening Products
Fertilizers and pesticides, such as herbicides and insecticides, can be
harmful to San Francisco Bay. Never pour them down the drain at home or in the
street, and be careful to never apply them before a storm. Look for less-toxic
alternatives. "Our Water, Our World" has made it easy with a handy
pocket guide (98KB) to
less-toxic pesticides, or view our
"Grow It!" guide (2.5MB),
both of which are PDF files that can be viewed and printed through Adobe's free
Acrobat Reader.
Medicine
For years, it was recommended to flush
unwanted medicine down the
drain to protect children and pets from accessing it, and to insure against
illegal recovery of controlled substances. Today, there are better options for the
Bay, such as
ongoing collection programs throughout the Bay Area
and EBMUD's periodic collection events.
EBMUD is an active participant in this fall's statewide
No Drugs
Down the Drain campaign.
Mercury
Because mercury is highly toxic to
humans and wildlife, it's important to reduce the likelihood of mercury spills.
Many household items contain mercury, such as mercury thermometers, thermostats,
and washing machine switches. Take these items to an
Alameda
County or
Contra
Costa County household hazardous waste collection center or check other
thermometer exchange sites and events. If you'd like to organize a thermometer exchange
for your school, church or community organization, email
cleanbay@ebmud.com.
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Nanomaterials
Nanomaterials, or those materials that are as small as 1/100,000 the width of a
human hair, hold promise for improved medical treatment, energy
efficiency, pollution reduction and prevention, and stronger, lighter materials.
However, there is currently little regulatory oversight for products using nanotechnology, little information on how nanomaterials behave in the environment, whether and how they degrade over time,
and if they pose dangers to fish and wildlife.
Hundreds of consumer
products that may be washed down the drain now contain nanoscale ingredients. For instance, nanosilver and nanocopper clothing may release metals when
they are washed, nanosilver is used in some washing machines, and myriad
nanomaterials are now found in personal care products that eventually are washed
off. EBMUD does not provide rebates on washing machines that use silver
nanoparticles or ions.
For more information on nanomaterials, see the Woodrow Wilson Center's Project on Nanotechnology and the Environmental Protection Agency's Nanotechnology Fact Sheet.
Paint,
Motor Oil and Other Household Hazardous
Waste
Never pour unwanted household chemicals,
such as paint thinner, pesticides, fertilizers or automotive fluids (new or
used), down the
drain. Take these items to an
Alameda
County or
Contra
Costa County household hazardous waste collection center.
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Pollution Prevention Partnerships
-
Baykeeper Partnership
EBMUD and Baykeeper are working together to educate residents about proper disposal of fats, oil and grease (FOG). -
Environmental Working Group Partnership
EBMUD and Environmental Working Group collaborated on Down the Drain, a study to identify sources of hormone-disrupting chemicals entering the EBMUD wastewater treatment plant. -
Save The Bay Partnership
EBMUD and Save The Bay are collaborating in a Pollution Prevention Partnership, a public education campaign to make it easier for residents to protect San Francisco Bay from pollution.
For more information about EBMUD's residential pollution prevention program, please contact us on-line or call 510-287-1651.