These are some of the many forms of fertilizers on the market of which you should be aware.

Fertilizers may be very effective at improving the productivity and health of lawns, gardens and farms, but fertilizers also contain harmful chemicals such as nitrates (which are also found in animal excrement!) that can leach into the local ecosystem and end up in the food and water supplies that you use.

Use of alternatives to fertilizers is strongly recommended to avoid possible stormwater polution, but if the use of a fertilizer is unavoidable, purchase only what you will use.

Try to use up the fertilizer before throwing away the container and any excess fertilizer. If the container is something solid such as plastic that can be washed, be sure to triple-rinse it before throwing it away, applying the rinsing water over the same area as the fertilizer.

Important things to make sure not to do with a fertilizer and its container:

• do not bury them
• do not throw them in the trash without a proper cleaning (as explained above)
• do not dump simply throw excess fertilizer onto the ground
• do not dump them down the sewer
• do not throw them into a septic tank