The right way to wash your car
It’s a warm sunny afternoon, the grass is cut, the trees are trimmed – the last item on your to-do list is washing the car. But don’t get out the hose and bucket; instead, plan a trip to the local commercial car wash.
Your car is dirty, but it’s not just dirt. That dirt can contain toxic chemicals, heavy metals, oil, grease and unacceptable levels of acidity. When you wash a car in your driveway or on the street, that dirty water runs into the storm sewers and straight into local streams and rivers, and even the lake.
Instead of washing your car at home, you can help by taking your car to a commercial car wash facility. The used water from these facilities is discharged into the sanitary sewer system and is treated at a wastewater treatment plant. Using a commercial car wash ensures that public health and aquatic environments are protected from the harmful effects of dirty water entering the storm sewers. An additional benefit is that these facilities use a lot less water.
Remember, the grates on the roads are storm sewers and are meant only for rainwater or melted snow because they generally flow directly to the nearest waterway. To help prevent unwanted chemicals from entering storm sewers, Toronto has a Sewer Use Bylaw.
toronto.ca/water
or call 311
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