3 Powerful Ways to Go Green with Your Septic Tank

Do you use a septic tank or are you planning to build a house in a rural area where you will need one? While septic tanks are usually excellent at doing their job, they sometimes crack, leak, or overflow, which is bad for the environment. You don't want the contents of your septic tank getting into the groundwater supply around your house.

If you are concerned about making your septic tank more environmentally friendly, there are ways to do it. These methods can start with an old tank or with an initial septic tank installation. Here are three ways you can go green with your septic tank and protect the environment for yourself and future generations.

1. Use Green Cleaners

If you have a septic tank, you should always use environmentally friendly, natural cleaners. This applies to soap, dish washing detergent, laundry detergent, toilet and shower cleaners, and any cleaner that will make its way down a drain in your home.

There are two important reasons you should always use green cleaners. One is that you can be assured harsh chemicals will not make their way into the environment if your septic tank leaks.

The second reason is that your septic tank uses certain bacteria to break down the waste materials that go into it. Harsh chemical cleaners can kill this bacteria, so then it can't do its job effectively. While these chemicals do kill the bad bacteria, they also kill the good kind, much like antibiotics do in humans.

When the good bacteria in a septic tank are killed, you can end up getting clogs and slow drains in your home because your septic tank isn't breaking down waste material as it should. You can buy a bacteria additive for your tank from your local septic tank professionals, but it is better if you don't need one at all. Green cleaning products are the key.

2. Be Smart with Your Drain Field

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, your drain field maintenance is an important part of keeping an environmentally friendly septic tank. If you already have a drain field, avoid planting things near it. Roots can grow down into the field and crack your septic tank, causing it to leak.

You should also never park a car or build an outbuilding on top of your drain field. This puts too much outside pressure on the septic tank underneath and can break it.

If you are currently scheduling an initial septic tank installation, you can arrange for the drain field to be in an optimum location. This means keeping it away from roof drains and sump pumps. These things can slow down the treatment of waste in your septic tank, which could eventually lead to it overflowing.

3. Consider a Septic Tank with Green Construction

An environmentally friendly septic tank isn't just one that is maintained with green methods. It is also one that is made to high planet-friendly standards. There are septic tank installation companies now that build the tanks out of recycled concrete. The concrete is taken from other building projects that are being demolished. Using recycled concrete from these sources keeps it out of landfills.

You can also get pipes made from recycled materials like plastic bottles. Reclaimed rocks from natural or man-made sources, as well as additional pieces of recycled concrete, can be used to create a totally green drain field.

Conclusion

The idea of a septic tank doesn't sound very green because of what it does. However, when maintained properly, a septic tank can be good for the environment. When it is built from recycled and reclaimed materials and not allowed to leak, it won't do any damage to the environment. Use these suggestions with your own septic tank and know you are doing your part to keep the planet clean. Speak with a representative from a company like Rob's Septic Tanks Inc to learn more.

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