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Why is it important to dispose of waste chemicals in collection vessels, instead of pouring them down the

drain?

User Ali Azam
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1 Answer

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29 votes

Step-by-step explanation:

Reasons why you should not dispose of chemicals down drains

Pipes, especially older pipes, can leak at connections or where they have been damaged. Often large pipes, like storm water pipes or really large sewage mains, are made out of concrete so at places where two pipes meet, there can be minor leaks. It’s not a big deal when it’s just a little bit of storm water leaking, but if chemicals are also in this water, you’ve just given them a direct path to contaminating drinking water! Also, some of Indianapolis’s infrastructure is very old, and pipes used to be made out of things like bricks and hollowed out trees which will also leak.

Disposing of chemicals down drains can damage your plumbing which can be expensive to repair and also allow those chemicals a direct path into the groundwater.

Improperly disposing of chemicals at your site can lead to environmental contamination of your site which can be time consuming and expensive to clean up.

User Gilbertpilz
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