You may have noticed, as you are walking along the sidewalk (playing Pokemon Go?), the stenciled words or printed decals right next to a storm drain that say something like, “No Dumping, Drains to Waterways”. We have the Hendricks County Partnership for Water Quality to thank for those reminders.
The Partnership is tasked with connecting local residents and organizations with information and resources to help them do their parts to keep our waterways clean. The curbside messages remind us that the storm drains clear water from our streets by sending it quickly into nearby creeks, streams and ponds. It’s important to recognize that any time you dump chemicals on the ground, in the ditch, along the fencerow or in your backyard, they will eventually be carried via rain water and snow melt down a drain, runoff into a ditch or seep directly into the groundwater. It reminds us of an old earworm, “Excuse Me Sir, That’s My Aquifer.”
When you have household hazardous waste (HHW) to dispose of, the District is here to help by sponsoring five annual Tox-Away Days throughout the county. Tox-Away Days are opportunities for Hendricks County households to properly dispose of HHW, tires, electronics and appliances. All HHW is accepted for free at the events so residents have an free, easy way to properly dispose of these materials that can threaten our air, land and water.
To learn about other recycling and disposal options for HHW and more, check out the online version of our newly updated Recycling Guide.
