Take your household chemicals and toxics to a local Household Hazardous Waste Roundup or the City of Los Angeles HazMobile instead of dumping them on the ground, down the sink or into a gutter, street or storm drain. Don't mix up more fresh concrete or cement than you will use. Store bags of cement and plaster under cover, protected from rainfall, runoff and wind, and away from gutters and storm drains. Never dispose of cement washout or concrete dust onto driveways, streets, gutters or storm drains. Painting All paints and solvents contain chemicals that are harmful to sea life.
Toxic chemicals can come from liquid or solid products or from cleaning residues on rags.
It is especially important to prevent these chemicals from entering storm drains. Paint Cleanup Never clean brushes or rinse paint containers into a street, gutter or storm drain. For oil-based paints, paint out brushes to the extent possible. Clean with thinner and then filter and reuse thinner. For water-based paints, paint out brushes to the extent possible, then rinse in the sink.