Its a Living Thing
Our environment - it's a living thing is the overarching environmental education program of the NSW Government. This state-wide initiative motivates and encourages people to adopt environmentally sustainable lifestyles. Visit Its a Living Thing Website, a resource provided by the NSW Government Department of Environment & Climate Change.
What You Can Do - To help improve water quality in our waterways
At Home:
• Use phosphorus free detergents in the kitchen and laundry and where possible use natural based cleaners such as vinegar, lemon juice and bicarbonate soda.
• Don't allow paint, chemicals or oil to enter ANY drain. Dispose of unwanted chemicals, paints and oils responsibly through the Household Chemical Cleanout Program and wash paint brushes over a sand filter on the lawn, rather than over drains or on a path.
• Visit: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/education/SPD_CHEM_Cleanout.htm for further information.
• Do not overfill your household waste bins, as windy days may permit waste materials to spill onto roadways and into street gutters.
• Install water saving devices, such as aerators on household taps, dual flush toilets and restricted flow shower heads. This is particularly important to residents within the rural areas of the shire whom depend on septic systems to dispose of their waste water. This reduces the waste water output, hence reducing the risk of high nutrient run-off entering local water systems
• Get to know your waste water treatment system, including grey and black water treatment systems. Knowing how to identify and respond to a potential leak can reduce the risk of contaminated run-off.
In the Garden:
• Use a broom to sweep up leaves and grass clippings from your driveway, the kerbside gutter in front of your house and other hard surfaced areas.
• Cover piles of soil/sand and other loose construction/landscaping materials as wind and rain will sweep pollutants into the storm water drain.
• Prevent soil and mulch from being washed onto the road by ensuring all gardens are located away from the stormwater drain. Also when disturbing soil or using mulch around trees on your property ensure that adequate sediment and erosion control devices are in place to prevent soil, fertilisers and mulch from entering the stormwater system.
• Wash your car on the lawn or at the car wash. Also keep your car serviced regularly to prevent oil dripping onto the road.
• Use less fertiliser and be careful not to over water your garden as this can lead to excess nutrient levels in our local waterways, particularly during periods of rain. Try planting local or native species when possible as they require less fertiliser and water.
• Minimize run-off of nutrient rich wastewater from recycled systems, such as those in the Rouse Hill area, by ensuring all wastewater is contained on-site.
Out and About:
• Place cigarette butts in a garbage bin or portable butt bin. Each cigarette butt contains over 4,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic, especially to aquatic wildlife and a single cigarette butt can take up to 15 years to break down. Portable butt bins, made from recycled film canisters are available from Council or you can easily make your own.
• Put your litter in a public rubbish bin or take it home with you to put in the bin.
• If you see someone throwing litter from a car or other vehicle report them to the EPA's 24 hour toll free Litter Report Line on 1800 35 25 55. Be sure to note down the car’s registration details, as well as the time and location of the incident.
• Clean up after your dog. Visit designated dog parks that provide bags and bins especially for dog faeces. Take compostable bags made especially for picking up dog droppings with you on every outing with your pooch. These are available from pet supply stores. If you can’t find these, use freezer bags or newspaper to pick up your pet’s droppings in public.
• Don’t feed bread to ducks and other birds. Bread can not only swell in their stomachs and cause diseases such as potentially fatal Avian Botulism but bread is also high in Phosphorous which can cause algal blooms in our waterways. Buy special duck food or refrain from feeding wild birds.
Courtesy: Baulkham Hills Shire Council http://www.baulkhamhills.nsw.gov.au/Water-Quality.html
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