Salt Smart Tips
by Jac
Save the planet one sidewalk square at a time!
When our driveways and sidewalks get icy and slippery, the first thing many of us do is cover them in salt. However, salt is not always effective below 15F, and the drawbacks to using salt are plentiful. Salt is a necessity in winter, but you might want to rethink how you use salt.
It takes only 1 tsp of salt to permanently pollute 5 gallons of water. The salinity of freshwater in the Midwest and Northeast has increased over the last several decades due to salt runoff from roads. This is damaging to aquatic life. Salt is also not good for plants and other vegetation, creating “salt burn” around sidewalks, and making it difficult to grow plants in salty soil. You will even notice the damage salt can do to buildings, bridges or your car in winter. Once in our ground or water supply, salt is very challenging and costly to remove.
Despite what labels say, THERE IS NO SAFE SALT. There is no "pet friendly" or "environmentally friendly" version. Those terms are not regulated. Check the ingredients. If it includes "chloride," that means it will have the same impact on humans, pets and our environment as salt!
We DO need salt for safety purposes. So what can you do? Use salt sparingly and more effectively! Read our tips below on how you can be a savvy salter.
Good news: The Village of Glen Ellyn limits our salt use on village streets and sidewalks much as possible. This saves residents money as well as protects our environment, and is less damaging to cars and infrastructure such as buildings and bridges.
Actions you can take
Here are some ways to salt smart!
More salt does NOT equal more melting. In fact, typical rock salt is only effective up to about 15F and below that, it will not impact ice melt.
The most effective way to use salt is to remove as much snow and ice as possible FIRST.
Use about 1/3 of a 12oz coffee mug to melt every 20 ft of pathway. That's about 10 sidewalk squares.
When the salt has done its job, try to sweep it up to keep it from running off into water or your yard. The good news is you can reuse that salt for the next snow!
Check out these additional tips and videos from the Salt Smart Collaborative
What about coffee grounds? You may have heard coffee grounds can melt ice because of their acidity. We've tried it...with mixed results. Give it a try on a sunny day - the dark color of the grounds will naturally help pull in heat to help with melting. Let us know your results!
Have any winter salt questions? Give us a shout at gogreenglenellyn@gmail.com.
