Use Less Salt for Eco-Friendly Snow Removal
John Janes | Landscape Marketing Manager
When removing snow and ice from a job site, you have three removal options: use salt, remove it mechanically, or wait for the sun to do the work. For snow removal businesses, doing the job quickly is important, which means you can’t wait around for the sun to melt the snow and ice. While salt is a common removal method, mechanical removal is an eco-friendly snow removal option.
Salt Damages the Environment
According to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, contaminates from salt used in snow removal can “enter water resources by infiltration to groundwater, runoff to surface water and through storm drains,” and negatively impact things like wells, aquifers, and even drinking water. Salt is also bad for landscaping, including killing grass and contaminating dirt in the areas where it’s used. Salt becomes less cost-effective when a landscaper has to remove contaminated dirt and replace it with fresh dirt every spring.
Why Mechanical Snow Removal?
There are a few reasons why using snow removal equipment is the better alternative to using only salt:
- It’s more cost-effective: you pay for the attachment and equipment and use it every season, instead of having to buy more salt each year.
- It’s environmentally friendly: it prevents you from having to replace contaminated dirt or dead plants due to overuse of salt.
- It’s more efficient: you can remove more snow from a larger area in less time, helping you increase the level of service you bring to your clients.
What Snow Removal Equipment Works Best?
Not just one tool works best for mechanical snow removal – different attachments and machines should be used depending on where you’re working and how much space you need to clear. For areas like small parking lots and sidewalks, a skid loader with a small snow plow or snow blower would be enough. For larger areas, like mall parking lots and roads, you might want the power of a compact wheel loader with a snow push or a motor grader and a V plow. It all depends on the application and the size of the area you’re doing the snow and ice removal.
No matter what projects you’re working on this winter, you can find equipment that will help you remove snow and ice safely and effectively.
John Janes
Landscaping Marketing Manager
John Janes has been bringing his diversified expertise to sales and marketing initiatives at Caterpillar for more than a decade. Not only does he hold an LIC certification from the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), CSP and ASM certifications from the Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA), but Janes also serves as an American Concrete Institute (ACI)-certified concrete flatwork technician.