Road salt alternatives include cheese brine, beet juice
Toronto dumps about 130,000 tonnes of salt on its roads in an average year — to the tune of about $10 million. Salt is expensive and hard on the environment. But there are other ways to get rid of ice.
There's more than one way to get keep city streets clear and safe
Toronto dumps about 130,000 tonnes of salt on its roads in an average year — to the tune of about $10 million. But apart from being expensive and leaving stains on our footwear, all that sodium chloride is also hard on the environment and local wildlife.
The Toronto Conservation Authority says salt use is likely linked to declining fish and bug populations, leading some to look for a more environmentally friendly option.
The options run from beet juice to cheese brine.
CBC’s Amanda Margison takes a closer look at how cities fight off ice. You can watch her report by playing the video at the top of this page.