Sweep Your Way to Cleaner Water

Break out the broom and sweep your way to cleaner drinking water.

Gardening creates beautiful landscapes and productive gardens, but it can get a bit messy. Grass clippings, chemicals, soil, and fertilizer often spill onto walks, driveways, and other hard surfaces.

Save a few minutes at the end of each garden session for a bit of cleanup.  Move large plant debris into the compost bin.  Sweep any remaining garden debris off walks and back into the garden or lawn where they belong. This extra step in your landscape care prevents debris from washing into storm sewers and polluting our water.

It also saves you time and problems down the road.  Leaves and other landscape waste often block sewers, leading to local flooding after heavy rains. When these materials enter our waterways they can kill fish, cause algal blooms, increase aquatic weeds, harm natural habitats, and create unsightly views.

So sweep away the debris as you burn a few calories, and be kind to the environment.

A bit more information: Save yourself a bit of cleanup time by planning ahead.  Use a drop spreader in small areas to reduce the amount of fertilizer that ends up on nearby walks and drives.  Make sure side discharge shoots are aimed into the lawn and away from walks and drives.  And have your soil tested so you apply the right amount of the right type of fertilizer to your lawn and garden.

Tags

sustainable-gardening fertilize lawns maintenance clippings

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