When washing your car in your yard, be careful with where the water runs
In the capital region, you should always use official car washing areas. They are equipped with oil and grit separators, through which the dirty water runs into a wastewater sewer. Washing your car in your yard affects the local environment, as the water usually runs through a stormwater drain or the street into the nearest stream. Streams and the species living in and around them cannot withstand dirty car wash water. Espoo’s streams and the surrounding nature are protected as valuable green areas.
You should always use an official car washing area. They are equipped with appropriate water treatment systems and oil and grit separators, through which the dirty water runs into a wastewater sewer.
You can wash your car in your own yard using eco-friendly detergent if the soil is able to absorb the water. It can be assumed that the microbes in the soil will break down the detergent. However, cars should not be washed in the yard every day to make sure that the soil has enough time to absorb the water and break down the detergent.
Washing your car in your yard may be harmful to the local environment, as the water usually runs through a stormwater drain or the street into the nearest stream. Streams and the species living in and around them cannot withstand dirty car wash water. Espoo’s streams and the surrounding nature are protected as valuable green areas.
This is how the City of Espoo interprets the environmental protection regulation. Other municipalities may have different regulations.
One of the city’s environmental inspectors was interviewed about washing cars on MTV3 in April 2023: Viiden jälkeen: Saako omalla pihalla pestä autoa?(external link, opens in a new window)
- Nature