What does storm water have to do with solid and hazardous waste recycling?
 Solid and hazardous waste materials are major components of storm water contamination. In addition, oils and greases, lawn fertilizers, pet feces, and sediments removed from streets and yards during storms wash into local storm sewers and eventually flow into local lakes and rivers where we fish and swim.
What can I do to help?
Here’s what you can do to protect our water quality:
- Notify the Public Works Department at (608) 789-7599 if you notice illicit discharges entering storm sewers or streets—oil or grease, trash, sediment, or hazardous material such as paint, cleaners, automotive lubricants, and even soaps.
- Wash your car on the lawn instead of in the driveway to keep dirty, soapy water out of the storm sewer system and rivers and lakes. Better yet, use a car wash—they send dirty water to the waste water treatment plant.
- Pick up after your pets--either flush waste down the toilet, bury it 4 to 6 inches deep, or use a specially designed composter. DO NOT put it in a vegetable garden. Dropping it into catch basins is illegal.
- Test your soil before buying and applying fertilizer to your lawn.
- Keep leaves and grass clippings out of the street, where they can clog storm inlets and contribute to street flooding.
- Take hazardous wastes to the Household Hazardous Materials site:
La Crosse County Landfill
6500 Hwy 16
La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 785-9999
For more information, call the Recycling Office at (608) 789-7508.
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