THE BIG PICTURE What is going down your drain and into your watershed?

Mary Coleman Environmental Education Pierce County Public Works NAME Conference 2016

Agenda What is wastewater? Septic & Sewer. What’s the difference? How do they work? What is going down the drain? [list of what gets in there] Basic commercial cleaners & their effects How is “green” cleaning better? Let’s make an all-purpose cleaner to take home!

What is wastewater? Industrial Commercial Agricultural Domestic

What is wastewater? Industrial Commercial Agricultural Domestic Some graphics from

What is a sewer system? Large system of pipes connecting to a regional treatment plant. The most widely used system in urban areas, sewer systems are a way to pipe wastewater from homes and businesses to a large- scale treatment facility.

What is a septic system? Septic tank systems do a very similar process as a sewer system, but on a much smaller scale – right in the yard of a home.

In both systems, good bacteria are key to breaking down wastewater

How does wastewater get into the watershed?

How does it get into the watershed?

What is a watershed?

Chemicals in our Homes All the different cleaners (and other toxic, flammable, poisons) in our homes Signal words: Caution Warning Danger Cleaners are regulated, right?

Popular cleaners Bleach, surfactants, and other harsh chemicals do indeed kill germs, loosen dirt, and then they are washed down the drains where they… kill more stuff! Common cleaners are often not used properly (no gloves, proper ventilation, too much is used, etc.) Main-stream cleaners use petroleum based ingredients to cut costs, which do not break down as well and circulate in the environment longer. Main-stream cleaners can contain fragrances and dyes that include 100 s of different chemicals they do not have to disclose, origins and effects are unknown.

Green Cleaning Basics Safe CleanerpHChemical PropertyWhat it doesWhere find it baking soda9 sodium bicarbonateabsorbs odors & mild abrasivegrocery store, baking aisle borax9 sodium borate “laundry booster”, odor control, mild bleaching agent general store, laundry aisle club soda3-4 H 2 0, carbon dioxide (CO 2), sodiumstain remover, loosenergrocery store, soda aisle lemons and limes2 citric acid removes tarnish, grease, & mineral deposits, extreme pH imported from warmer areas, grocery stores liquid soap or detergent 7-11 the salts of a fatty acid (preferably plant-based – sustainable palm oil, coconut oil, etc.) loosens dirt, surfactant castile soaps at Fred Meyer, Marlene’s, Trader Joe’s, online + bulk salt-- sodium (it’s pH depends on what it was derived from) kosher is better; use with caution as it can be corrosive, grease buster, antibacterial, abrasive grocery store, baking aisle distilled water7 H2OH2O universal solvent, without all the additives our tap water can have grocery store, drink aisle, OR boil your own and let cool white vinegar2 solution of acetic acid (fruit vinegars have a pH of about 5 and are less effective cleaners) powerful deodorizer, dissolves soap film & mineral deposits, repels grease/grime, help prevent mold/mildew grocery store – *if the bottle doesn’t state which plant it’s derived from, it comes from petroleum

pH Know which are the harmful ones to you and the environment Understanding pH can help the cleaning cause

Teaching to Adults – lesson outline

Making an All-Purpose Cleaner

Reuse idea

Assembly line

Teaching to Kids – lesson outline

Teaching at a Fair/Event

Supplies