1. Pollution Prevention and Proper Waste Disposal
Don’t trash your source water!

2. Overview
The best approach to reducing potential contaminant threats from waste is to reduce the volume and potential toxicity of wastes
Pollution prevention is reducing or eliminating potential threats (source reduction)
Proper waste disposal means discarding wastes in a manner so that there are no effects on water or environmental quality
Pollution prevention and proper waste disposal are two distinct activities, both extremely important to the protection of drinking water supplies.
Pollution Prevention
May involve substituting a potentially hazardous material with a safe one, so that issues surrounding the use and disposal of hazardous materials don’t have to be dealt with.
May involve litter reduction to reduce potential pollutants, such as cigarette butts, that may be washed down storm drains.
Proper Waste Disposal
May involve landfills or keeping particularly hazardous materials out of landfills.
May involve recycling of used motor oil or specific electronics.
Improper waste disposal is a potential threat to drinking water quality. For example, used oils, chemicals, solvents, paints, batteries, and discarded electronics are materials that should not go into landfills because they have the potential to contaminate groundwater supplies.
Good Water. Good Health. Good Choices.

3. Did You Know?
In a lifetime, the average American will throw away 600 times their adult weight in garbage
Americans throw away enough used oil each year to fill 120 supertankers
Product packaging accounts for 30% of the weight and 50% of the volume in our household waste
Source: Midwest Assistance Program
Good Water. Good Health. Good Choices.

4. Did You Know?
Enough energy is saved by recycling one aluminum can to run a TV for 3 hours or to light a 100 watt bulb for 20 hours
One ton of recycled paper uses 64 % less energy, 50% less water, 74% less air pollution, and creates five times more jobs than one ton of unrecycled paper products
Source: Midwest Assistance Program
Good Water. Good Health. Good Choices.

5. What You Can Do
Find out what programs are in place in your community or area to reduce the use of potential pollutants.
Organize or take part in a local household hazardous waste collection day, recycling event, or scrap tire amnesty day.
Learn more about local landfill efforts to protect groundwater.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle!
Help pollution prevention efforts by monitoring what materials you use in your own home, and ensuring any hazardous materials are properly disposed of.
Good Water. Good Health. Good Choices.

6. Contacts
Insert local contact information
The Groundwater Foundation
P.O. Box 22558
Lincoln, NE
Insert your local contact information.
Good Water. Good Health. Good Choices.