Litter

In addition to potentially choking, suffocating, or disabling the aquatic life like ducks, fish, turtles and birds, litter decreases the oxygen levels in the water when it decays. Litter is one of he most unsightly forms of pollution in our local waterway but is fortunately the easiest to prevent. No other species on the planet produces litter, so ensuring it is properly disposed of revolves entirely on YOU. Properly disposing of your waste is the easiest step, but many pieces of trash can fall off the truck, blow in the wind, or otherwise end up somewhere other than the landfill. Refusing, reducing, reusing, repurposing, and recycling are the five R’s of waste reduction that can help eliminate excess waste.

Styrofoam

Styrofoam or expanded polystyrene is harmful to the environment because it doesn’t biodegrade. The petroleum based product takes up to 500 years to decompose all the while leaching toxic chemicals (styrene and ozone), harming wildlife that mistakes it for food, breaking down into micro plastics, and all the while floating. Being more buoyant than water means it travels further and while floating. Being more buoyant than water means it travels further and longer than other contaminants all while contaminating the waterways that it flows along.

Recycle

Recycling is a great way to give your waste another life outside of its original use. Rumpke is the waste provide for the City of Kettering and provides an excellent guide to what can be recycled in their business.

https://www.rumpke.com/residential/recycling-services/acceptable-items 

Household hazardous waste is everything else. Batteries, fire extinguishers, fluorescent lights, propane tanks, heavy metals, cleaning products, paints, pool chemicals, varnishes, thinners, vehicle fluids; all which can be dealt with properly by Montgomery County Hazardous Waste https://www.mcohio.org/550/household-hazardous-waste-disposal