ACWA is committed to ensuring people understand how the world benefits by using a commercial car wash when cleaning their car.
Simply put, when a car is washed a commercial car wash, the pollutants and contaminated water are collected, cleaned and disposed of according to strict EPA Regulations.
When a car is washed in a driveway or the street, the pollutants run into the stormwater drainage systems and flow completely untreated into the nearest river, creek or ocean shore.
To support these values ACWA has been active in addressing the issue of home car washing:
- In 2012 ACWA presented a paper at the national Stormwater Conference reiterating the significant contribution home car washing makes to the pollution of Australia’s waterways.
- In 2014-15, ACWA developed the Stormwater Pollution Educational Awareness Campaign (www.thedirtytruth.com.au), with funding support from the Victorian Department of the Environment, Land, Water and Planning and related bodies.
- The www.thedirtytruth.com.au campaign was developed to show how everyday home activities including car washing contribute to the pollution of the local waterways and the ocean www.thedirtytruth.com.au
The direct relationship between home car washing and the pollution of the stormwater system is further illustrated in these catchy videos on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrcWf4SVMWc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eag0HgclbJk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMUsg9gtvYw
