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Report illicit discharges and water quality problems in your neighborhood

The EPA defines an illicit discharge as anything discharged into a storm drain system that is not composed entirely of stormwater. Exceptions to this rule include water from fire fighting activities and discharges by facilities under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Unlike wastewater which is treated before release, illicit discharges enter surface waters without any treatment, often containing pathogens, nutrients, surfactants, and toxic pollutants. Learn more about illicit discharges.

If you spot an illicit discharge in your community, report it by calling the Frederick County Office of Sustainability and Environmental Resources at 301.600.1413. If the situation is an emergency, call 911.

Check your own property for potential run-off issues. Make sure that all wastewater leaving your property enters either the sanitary sewer or your septic system. Rainwater is the only type of water that should enter your storm drains or run off of your property.

Reduce your use of deicing chemicals or use an environmentally-friendly alternative

Road salt, or sodium chloride, can be harmful to the environment when it washes off of roads, sidewalks, and driveways into surrounding land and waterways. In order to reduce your use of deicing chemicals, clear as much snow as possible by hand, use only the amount of deicing chemical instructed, or try an environmentally-friendly alternative.

Become a Master Gardener or a Master Composter

The mission of the Master Gardener program provided by the University of Maryland Cooperative extension is to “educate Maryland residents about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes and communities.”

As a Master Composter, you can improve composting techniques and use the knowledge learned from courses about water quality, nutrient management, soil conservation, and recycling towards your own household and to help others.

Check out the Frederick County Master Gardeners site for more information about gardeners and activities in Frederick.

Recycle ink and laser toner printer cartridges

Many printer companies accept used cartridges in the mail, and several businesses in the Frederick area accept drop-offs, including Best Buy and Office Depot. Use this list of mail-in and drop-off services to find a location near you.

You can even raise money for your school, church, or other community organization by hosting a used printer cartridge drive.

Use recycled paper with at least a 30% post-consumer content or tree-free fiber content

According to the EPA, paper comprises 28% of the solid waste generated by Americans. Paper recycling helps to direct this common waste away from the landfill and lessens the burden on virgin forests.

Currently, 90% of the paper made in the world is produced from wood pulp, but several tree-free fiber alternatives exist, including agricultural wastes like husks and straw, fiber crops such as hemp, textile wastes such as rope and linen scraps, and wild plants like bamboo.

Purchase non-bleached paper products

Chlorine is commonly used to bleach paper products a pure white color, including such products as coffee filters, paper towels, toilet paper, and more. However, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and other derivatives used by the paper and pulp industry are harmful to the environment, especially to aquatic organisms. In addition, traces of these bleaching compounds remain in the paper, filters, paper plates, and paper towels that people handle, or even eat off of, every day. Bleaching with chlorine also results in the production of dioxins as carcinogenic byproducts. Less dangerous bleaching substitutes include oxygen, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide. Learn more about chlorine-free products and paper product choices.