How to Remove Snow and Be Environmentally Conscious

Snow removal is one of the drudgeries of living in cold weather climates. There are some issues that homeowners need to consider when removing snow, though. Snow removal chemicals can be very harmful to the environment, not to mention the damage they can do to your driveway and landscaping. If you spread salt or chemicals on the drive and then it snows again, the residual can seep into your yard the next time you shovel and damage your lawn or plants. You can avoid all these harmful effects with some simple changes to your snow removal routine.

Instructions

- 1
  Shovel your driveway using a snow shovel. Do so when the snow is about four inches deep. Even if it is still snowing or you expect more snow, shoveling before the snow really piles up can save you a big backache. If you can, try to shovel the snow into an area that will have natural run-off when the snow melts.
- 2
  Chip the ice with a shovel instead of using a chemical. If you have a sunny day, wait until the sun has shone on the snow for a few hours, then use the shovel as a wedge. Hold the shovel over one edge of the ice and strike it by lowering the shovel swiftly to crack the ice. Do not try to crack too large a chunk of ice at once.
- 3
  Spread wood shavings or ash to coat ice that you cannot chip. This will create a safe walking surface on the ice without the use of salt or a chemical, and you can sweep up the debris after the ice melts. Since wood and ash are biodegradable, you can deposit the debris with your yard waste after you have swept.

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