Car Washing is Illegal in Toronto

Did you know that it is illegal to wash your car in your own driveway? Most of us have heard about the Toronto by-law that is attempting to protect the city’s waterways from harmful pollutants. What many people don’t realize is how much pollution washes off of cars and into our rivers. Pollution such as anti-freeze, road salt, grease, rust, detergents and other pollutants run off into our storm sewers which flow untreated into our rivers and ultimately into Lake Ontario. As we all know, Toronto gets a huge percentage of our water from Lake Ontario itself.
Water quality is a huge environment factor almost everywhere. Everyday, pollutants which are very harmful are washed into Toronto’s waterways. Pollutants from car-related waste, fuels, solvents, heavy metals, pesticides, sediment, and litter eventually flow untreated into Lake Ontario. These pollutants have a negative impact on the river’s habitat, as well as the city’s drinking water. Chemicals such as nonyphenol eth...