Local councils control and maintain stormwater systems, but everyone can help stop pollution from entering our waterways.
In the garden
- Wash your car on grass or gravel or take it to a car wash.
- Reduce the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers.
- Stop dirt, leaves and grass clippings from entering gutter and drains – sweep hard paths and driveways regularly and put sweepings on the garden or in the compost or bin.
- Stop soil and mulch from being washed or blown off the garden.
- Replant areas of disturbed soil.
- Use natural alternatives to pest control chemicals.
In the street
- Stop leaves, litter and sediments from entering gutters and drains – sweep gutters and driveways regularly and put sweepings on the garden or in the compost or bin.
- Sick up litter and put it in a bin – bin your cigarette butts.
- Pick up pet droppings and dispose of them in a rubbish bin, the garden or the toilet.
- Limit the use of detergent when cleaning outside.
- Wash your car on grass or gravel or take it to a car wash.
- Maintain your car – make sure fuel is burnt ‘cleanly’ and there are no fuel or oil leaks by keeping your car tuned.
- Work on your car in the garage, not on the street or where oil and grease may wash into gutters.
During renovations
- Wash paint brushes and rollers over a sand filter on the lawn.
- Take paint, turps and solvents to your local recycling centre or chemical clean out.
- Reuse turps once paint has settled.
- Remove sand, gravel, cement and other building materials with a shovel and a bin or skip.
- Cover your load – soil, sand or other waste – when taking it to the tip.
On the land
- Stabilise the banks of rivers, creeks and streams by planting vegetation.
- Control soil erosion by replanting areas of disturbed soil.
- Set up barriers to prevent sediment from building sites washing into stormwater drains.
- Reduce agricultural nutrient run-off – reduce the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers.
- Rehabilitate wetlands.
In the catchment
- Set up pollution traps or filters to catch land-based pollution before it enters waterways.
- Clean or empty pollution traps regularly.
- Create artificial wetlands, a type of pollution trap, at the discharge point of a catchment.
- Reduce run-off from unsealed roads by conducting routine maintenance.
- Treat stormwater at the source of the pollutant – harvest rainwater or use biofiltration systems.
- Retrofit stormwater treatment systems in developed areas.