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Where Does Pollution Come From?
Think of the County as a concrete bowl that tilts toward the ocean. Now add 10 million people and all the waste we produce every day. When it rains or when people over-water their lawns, wash their cars or hose down their driveways, that untreated water washes down our streets and into our stormdrain system, ultimately ending up in our bays and coastal waters.
Runoff can contain fecal bacteria, trash and chemical toxins that can be harmful to both people and animals. We all contribute to pollution every day, often without realizing it.
For example:
- Cars: used motor oil, leaking fluids, toxic metals from disc brakes, bits of worn down tires, soap from car washing
- Gardens: fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides that are harmful to marine life, plants and soil
- Recreational vehicles: sewage waste
- Commercial and industrial waste: fuels, solvents, chemicals, detergents, plastic pellets, hazardous materials or substances, hazardous wastes, soot, slag, ash, and sludge
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Everyday trash: Los Angeles residents dispose of enough trash to fill Dodger Stadium every two weeks, including:
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Nearly 1 million cigarettes butts a month
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Food wrappers, syringes, and plastics such as millions of single-use water bottles
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Styrofoam and plastic packaging (60%-80% of all debris in the ocean is plastic)
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Other: Metals such as cadmium, lead, zinc, copper, silver, nickel, chromium, and arsenic, and nonmetals such as carbon, chlorine, fluorine, phosphorous, and sulfur
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