Do you change the oil in your car at home? Do you have old cans of paint just hanging around in your garage? Remember that anything you rinse from the garage floor or driveway or dump down a storm drain will flow to Lake Erie and can be harmful to the aquatic life that lives there. Whatever enters a storm sewer in the street flows directly to Lake Erie without getting treated.

It only takes a quart of motor oil from your car to make an oil slick many acres in size. To prevent that ugly rainbow sheen in the creek behind your house, always properly dispose of used motor oil, never dump oil in a storm drain, and fix any leaks on your car. Some of our area auto part stores will accept your used motor oil for disposal.

Also, properly dispose of any left-over solvents, pesticides, paints, and other chemicals. You can take them to the 2019 Lake County Solid Waste District Special Collection Event at the Lake County Fairgrounds on June 8th from 9:00 am -3:00 pm.

Help do your part to keep Mentor beautiful and Lake Erie clean for everyone! This information is brought to you by the Lake County General Health District and the City of Mentor Engineering Department.

For more information, contact the City of Mentor at 974-5785.